An even darker knight
by sevenofmine
Summary: My orginal idea was to create a Crane based FanFiction but as there wasn't any hot girl in the movie I had to bring in a new character to pair him with. And she is the reason why Batman has it more difficult than in the movie to save Gotham city
1. Training

**A FanFiction about Batman Begins. Actually, it was supposed to get a Jonathan Crane based FanFiction and it still is although there are some parts without him to explain the story and the characters. Because there wasn't any nice girl/ man _(well, Joker would have fitted...) _in the movie to pair him with, I had to invent a new character who also plays an important role and that's why the story line is a bit different from the movie.**

**I do not own anything.**

**Unfortunately, I only could watch the movie in German so some passages are freely translated and I don't know how they're in the English original. Certain scenes I could watch on youtube so I had them in English. I already apologize when my English is too bad at some points.**

**Don't forget to write a review!**

**Although it doesn't look like that on the first glance, Crane is actually the main character and will get an even more important focus in the later chapters.**

Chapter 1

'Ra's Al Ghul?' Bruce asked.

The door behind him closed. Ninjas were gathering around him.

'Wait' Ducard appeared suddenly. He walked over to Bruce. 'What are you looking for?' he asked.

'A way to fight unfairness. To teach those scare who are taking the weak as victims.' He gave him the blue flower. He looked around. Ra's Al Ghul sat in his chair, a ninja stood next to him, the face covered. The suit was tight and it looked as if it was a woman, Bruce estimated her to be a young girl.

Ducard said something to Ra's Al Ghul who turned to the Ninja girl next to him. They exchanged a few words and he turned back.

Ducard translated for Bruce. 'To manipulate the fear of the others, you have to tackle your own first. Are you ready to begin?'

Bruce woke up. He hated the nightmares. Dreaming of the death of his parents was worth, this was third worth. The second place was remembering the moment when he first time had fought against that Ninja girl. He had never seen her face, it had always been covered.

The night they had fought outside he had received so many wounds that he had lost counting. He had broken in the ice three times and each time she had helped him out. He had been training for five years there, being exactly seven years away from Gotham.

After one year training he had fought the girl. She had been extraordinary strong. After the fight they had slept outside because they didn't want to go back through the mountains to the mountain palace during night.

They had sat together at the campfire.

'What's your name?' he asked when they both stared at the fire burning.

'Names do not define a being' she just answered. She still wore the black mask, part of her tight ninja costume.

'When will I be allowed to see your face?'

'Soon enough.'

'Why are you here? You're not older than sixteen.'

'I'm fourteen. Ducard found me in the mountains when I was a little baby. He brought me to the mountain palace and they raised me there.'

'You have no idea of your parents?'

'No, they didn't want me. They just set me out in the mountains. Therefore I don't know my real name if I ever got one.'

'Ducard raised you speaking English?'

'Yes, and Tibetan. He also taught me French and Spanish. He's fluent in both.'

Bruce was impressed. She laid her head on his shoulder. They both continued staring into the bonfire without saying a word.

He remembered that scene when he entered the Wayne tower. Another day at work down in the cellar, department practical science. Only Lucius Fox and Valentina Riddle worked there. Valentina was a young chemist with about nineteen years. Although this department wasn't one of the most fascinating ones in the Wayne Tower, she loved working there. Bruce has both gotten to know when he started to work down there about two weeks ago. He liked them already very well.

He exited the elevator. Lucius already was at work and he saw Valentina at the end of the big hall in her usual white lab coat wearing plastic gloves and safety glasses. She looks beautiful, he thought and went over to Lucius.

'I found it' he said when Bruce looked over his shoulder on the computer he was sitting in front of. They walked over to one of the cupboards and Lucius opened the draw.

'Multi-functional belts…endure 300 pounds' he explained.

Bruce was astonished. It looked good for what he planned. Lucius showed him the suit. Not black enough, Bruce thought when Lucius explained its function.

'Bulletproof?' he asked.

'Except for an additional shot.'

Bruce turned around. He hadn't heard Valentina coming. She carried test tube racks with several colorless liquids in it.

'She's controlling the last production of testing liquids for our new microwave weapon' Lucius explained when he looked at Bruce examining the test tubes.

'It shall be tested if the microwaves also vaporize other liquids than water and how soon' she said.

'Sounds interesting' he smiled and watched her walking to the chemical lab desk.

'You should ask her out' Lucius murmured.

'Oh no' Bruce answered. 'I'm twenty-nine and she's nineteen.'

'But you're rich and she's just a young chemist' he said ironically.

He sighed.

'I don't think she's interested in money' Lucius added.

'Why that?' Bruce asked.

'She was offered a job in the chemistry lab three floors above us. She would have earned three times as much but she wanted to go here. She graduated from University with an A.'

Bruce was surprised. He had always been astonished by her, she was nineteen and already had a doctor title. Actually, this was impossible but she had had special allowance to skip most of the courses and only did the end exams. She must really be a genius, he thought.

* * *

><p><p>

'Somebody is sleuthing around.'

'One hand is washing another, doc. At last, I am the one who cares about the safety of your deliveries.'

'This is what we pay you for.'

'Perhaps money isn't as interesting as favors.'

Crane took his glasses into his hands. His light blue eyes directly looked at Falconi. 'That someone like me can't scare you, is absolutely understandable for me, Mr. Falconi. But…you know who I am working for' he said in a nice but scaring voice. 'When he'll come here-'

'What, he'll come here? Here to Gotham?'

'Yeah, that's right.'

Falconi didn't notice Crane's typical Irish accent. He perfectly hid it.

'And when he's here, he doesn't want to hear that you endangered our operation because you didn't want your rowdies to go to prison.'

Falconi began to think about what Crane said. 'Who's making problems?' he asked.

'A young lawyer.'

'Okay, we buy her.'

'Not this one.'

'Oh, an idealist. For that we also do have solutions.'

'I don't wanna know' Crane said with his typical emotionless, stone-poker face.

'Yes, you want' Falconi said in a deep voice.

Crane looked at him for a while and thought. No, it would be too early to kill him. 'Do something' he said and walked out of the office.

It was already late night and he decided to go home. There was no business left for today.

He didn't know why he decided otherwise but he stayed in downtown and went to the nearest disco. Johnny still hadn't paid the last delivery of drugs. He needed to remind him that there was no playing around with him. He walked into the loud disco, far too loud for him _(I imagined the disco like this one in that certain scene in Breakfast on Pluto…)_. The crowd danced and screamed.

Jonathan searched his way through the crowd to the bar. 'Hey, is Johnny here?' he asked the barkeeper he knew.

'Haven't you heard? He's found death about an hour ago. Someone slit open his throat.' Jonathan sighed. Typical. With that he got away another time

He walked out of the loud disco again. Outside there stood a girl at his car. He sighed. Another girl who just wanted sex and nothing more. On the other side she was really pretty and he hasn't been out with a girl for such a long time.

Perhaps he should give her a try.

* * *

><p><p>

They both lay naked in his bed. It has been such a long time since he last time had so much fun. It had been wonderful and she had remembered him that there was more than to work and to betray.

'What's your name?' he asked. She was tall, he estimated her to be around twenty-one, she had long, black, curly hair and her skin was really pale.

'Valentina' she answered. _(Well, her voice can be imagined as the voice of the Borg Queen in Star Trek)._ She looked at him with her deep black eyes, so raven-hued black that he couldn't see the pupils. He took the strand of hair out of her face.

'And you're Dr. Jonathan Crane' she said smilingly.

He froze. How did she know his name?

'You're better than I expected.'

'What did you expect?' he asked unsurely.

She shortly laughed. 'Well, you're a psychiatrist, a doctor and you run Arkham Asylum. I thought you would be more that kind of…evil and mad man who only minds his business.'

'I actually do' he sat up. Who the hell was this girl? And what did she know. 'Who are you?' he asked.

She just smiled. 'How far is your work?'

He looked at her. 'What do you mean?'

'He will come soon…your client.'

'You work for him?' Crane asked getting scared. 'He sent you?'

'I've been here already for quite a while. My task was to examine the situation. Gotham, your work, people who could endanger this operation…'

Jonathan didn't say anything. He had great respect toward his boss and if she told him that they had slept together he didn't want to think about the consequences.

'You won't tell him about this, will you?'

'No, of course not. You really like your work for him, don't you?' she asked and sat up too.

'It's a big deal' he admitted.

She touched his cheek. Her hands were so warm. 'He lied to you' she said softly.

Jonathan didn't understand.

'What do you think he is going to do with the poisoned water supply and the microwave weapon?' Her look was so deep and Jonathan didn't doubt that she could read his mind. She was so beautiful and when they had had sex he had really thought that he would love her. But now she was only controlling him in order from their boss.

'I don't…Blackmail the government' he answered. That was what he was told.

'I know that it is wrong to tell you but I have to. Because I do really like you. I have observed you the last weeks and-'

'You did what?' he asked surprised. Shit, she really knew everything about him.

'I was really astonished when you agreed to come here. It has been such a beautiful night and I am sorry that I must have lied to you.'

'What is Ra's Al Ghul planning?' Jonathan asked divining the worst.

'He wants to destroy Gotham City. There are so many criminals and corrupt people here that Gotham as a town cannot exist any further. Corrupt people like you although you're a real exception' she said smilingly and came closer to him.

'He…wants to destroy Gotham with the microwave weapon? He really wants to pursue the plan to…' Jonathan couldn't imagine what would happen if…

'Yes. He wants to vaporize the water and spread out the poison. All people in Gotham will be delirious and kill each other.'

'Why do you tell me? You have no reason for that' he asked suspiciously.

'I started to like you. You know, when you observe someone, you really get to know him. That's why I am here. Well, and second, I shall ask you how far the preparations are.' _(Observations like in Red Eye...^^)_

'Nearly finished. When he's here he can start…destroying Gotham.' Jonathan didn't like the consequences at all. This was a mass murder that was planned. He couldn't imagine what would happen if the poison would be spread in the air. He looked scared.

'When it comes that far, count on me' she smiled and bent forward to kiss him.

It felt so good to finally have found a girl. Jonathan couldn't even remember the last time he has got a kiss.

It had been so long ago.

* * *

><p><p>

Officer Gordon was back in his office. He sat down at his desk and dialed the number. But the phone suddenly went off. The lights went out all of sudden. Jim Gordon looked up. He had heard a noise. Someone was pointing a gun at him. He recognized the sound even miles away.

'Don't turn around' a voice said. Gordon got panic. Another crazy man with a gun?

'You're a good cop' the man behind him said. 'One of the few.'

'What do you want?' Gordon asked with all his courage.

'Every week Falconi brings in new drugs to the city. Nobody stops him. Why not?'

'Because he bought over the right people.'

'What would you need to get him?'

'An attorney who is courageous enough to accuse him.'

'Rachel Dawes.'

'Who are you?' Gordon asked surprised.

'Pay attention to my sign.'

The thing, Gordon has thought to be a gun, was taken away from his neck. 'Are you alone?' he asked.

'Now we're two' the man said.

'We?' Gordon asked and turned around. But there was nobody there. He ran to the window to see someone climbing up the roof. He took the inner stairway immediately. Other police officers followed him. The man who wore black clothes and a mask jumped down from the roof and landed at the fire ladder of the house opposite to the Police Department.

'Shit' Bruce cursed when he had finally found hold. He looked around. Nobody saw him. At least that was what he thought. He didn't notice the woman in the Ninja costume about two houses away.

Of course not, it was over a year ago since he had last time seen him in the mountain palace which he had destroyed. He didn't even know that she had survived. She turned around and put off her mask. She ordered her black curly hair and pulled out her cell phone.

Batman hasn't had a mask yet but he was already born.

And Valentina was absolutely sure that he was going to dress up as a bat. Not only because he had ordered about 10,000 masks from a Chinese company.

She dialed the number under which she could reach Ducard.

She was one of the few people who knew that he was the true Ra's Al Ghul.

**Please review!**


	2. Batman's Birth

**I still try to keep the focus on Crane but there are so many aspects I have to consider because the new character 'Valentina' completely changes the storyline. I promise that later when the main things are explained, I can deeper go into Crane's character.**

Chapter 2

'What is it about today?' Lucius asked when Bruce walked over to his desk.

'Base-Jumping' he smiled.

'Parachuting you mean?'

'Kind of. Any ultra light-weight versions?' Bruce asked.

Lucius turned around to Valentina who was just checking files in the draw behind him. 'I think I know something' she nodded.

* * *

><p>'If you have any concerns-'<p>

'Listen, Mr. Wayne. If you don't tell me anything about what you're doing then I don't have to lie when I'm asked. But don't think that we're idiots' he said with a side-look on Valentina who folded the not-electrically charged cloth again.

She smiled at Bruce. She put it back into the trunk and stored it away.

'What's that?' Bruce asked Lucius and pointed to the kind of…car.

'Oh, that wouldn't interest you' he said when he already caught the keys that Valentina threw over.

* * *

><p><p>

'Who was that?' Bruce asked when he took the elevator down to the cave.

'I have no idea, as I told you the last three times you asked me' Alfred reminded him with his typical British accent.

'It was that Ninja girl. She helped me. Without her I could have never taken all these drug smugglers down.'

'That Ninja girl you have spoken from all over the journey back from Tibet?'

'Yes, she was trained by Ra's Al Ghul.'

'But she helped you?'

Bruce nodded and threw Batman's head on the desk. 'She is one of his Ninjas. But why is she in Gotham? I thought she died in the mountain palace.'

'Obviously not. If she is as smart as you described her, she wouldn't have died in that fire.'

'You may be right, Alfred.'

'I always am' Alfred muttered silently. 'She wore that Ninja costume?' Alfred asked.

Bruce shook his head. 'She wore a tight latex costume with a black mask. No gadgets. She was fast and strong enough to do everything with bare hands.'

'That's amazing. She's your little shadow. How did you recognize her?'

'Alfred, I already told you. First, her style of martial arts and second, that outfit.'

'Did she also have cat ears and a tail?'

Bruce just sighed.

* * *

><p>'But what does a man like me?' Bruce asked. He removed his tiredness with his thoughts. He fell down to do push-ups.<p>

'Well, he drives sports cars, goes out with movie actresses, buys things that are unsalable. Who knows, Master Wayne, when you pretend a bit fun you will perhaps coincidentally have some.' Bruce stopped his push-ups and stood up.

'I'm gonna do exactly what you say, but let me choose my girl.'

'Ah, Valentina Riddle.'

'How do you know?' Bruce asked confused.

'The way you talk about her. Every day.'

'I don't talk much about her.'

'Oh yes, you do.'

* * *

><p><p>

'He did what police wasn't able to do' the woman said.

'A single person isn't allowed to justify oneself' her husband retorted.

'At least he achieved something' the woman responded.

'Bruce, come on, help me out' the man said.

'Well, a man who dresses up like a bat obviously has some problems, right Valentina?' he looked at the pretty women on his left.

She wore a beautiful black dress, simple and elegant. 'I think he has some chances of success. I mean, police can't do anything so why should a single man achieve less?'

'But now the cops wanna imprison him. What tells you that?' the husband responded.

'That they're envious' his wife answered promptly.

Two hours later they finally had the chance to flee from dining at the hotel.

'God, that was exhausting' Bruce whispered into Valentina's ear. She smiled at him.

She wanted to respond but saw Rachel just coming through the door. 'Isn't that Rachel Dawes?' she asked silently.

He nodded. 'Bruce?' Rachel asked and they stopped.

'I've heard that you'd be back again' she said unsurely. 'What do you do here?'

'Just…boring dinner.'

'Couldn't have been that boring' she said silently with a look on Valentina.

'I'll wait at the car' Valentina whispered to Bruce and went off.

'Great to see you again' Bruce said nicely.

'You've been away for such a long time' she responded smilingly.

'Yeah, right. How's it going?'

'Work's getting more difficult.'

'Yeah, you can't save the world on your own.'

'What chance do I have when you're occupied with having boring dinners?' she played along ironically.

'That…all here…that's not me' he tried to explain her. She had always been her love, since they were young children. But now she thought that he would…he tried to pretend a new I but he wasn't new. He was still the old Bruce. How could he explain her?

'Interiorly…I'm different.'

'Bruce, what we are interiorly doesn't count, how we act, that shows who we are.'

His smile vanished.

'Go to your girl, Bruce' she smiled unhappily and went away. He watched her going and decided to walk back to the car.

Valentina waited inside. He stepped into the car. 'You wanna drive?' he asked. She started the motor. 'I hope I'm gonna survive it.'

'What did she say?' she asked.

'Oh, nothing, we just talked' he said depressed.

'Hey, Bruce. You can tell me' she said and bent over.

He gave her a short kiss. Then a longer one. The first time they kissed.

'Drive' he whispered. He watched her driving. She was such a beautiful girl.

* * *

><p>They were inside her little apartment. It about half an hour drive from Bruce's chateau but somehow they have decided to go there. It was very small, from the hallway you directly entered living and bedroom, which was connected to the Bath and through a small hallway you reached an open kitchen and eating room. Bruce was astonished how she could live in such a small place. It was already ten pm. They started to remove their clothes and kissing wildly. He undid her dress and she his shirt.<p>

'What's that?' she asked playing confused when she saw his wounds.

'Oh, nothing. I hit myself unluckily on the table' he tried to avoid her question.

'What's this?' he asked in his turn.

There was a big scar right under her left breast. It was so straight, it could have been drawn with a ruler. 'Oh nothing-'

'It seems to be a few years old.'

'It doesn't want to heal.' The scar still looked red. 'Seven years ago' she explained.

'How?' Bruce asked. 'Was it a knife?'

'Kind of' she answered and before he could ask any more questions she kissed him and pushed him on the bed.

He removed his trousers and she crawled above him. 'You don't have a secret second life where you go around and come to blows' she asked him when she saw his body covered in more wounds, some of them very fresh.

'Oh, no' he laughed and she crawled next to him.

'You neither?' he asked pointing on a long suture. She touched it and looked up at him, trying to smile.

'Where did you get them?' he asked. She wanted to kiss him again but he pushed her backward. 'You haven't told me anything about your childhood, your past' he said.

'Well, as you can see, I didn't have such a great childhood' she said half lying. Of course, it had been hard and a torture. But she had learnt to like it. Hurting made her feel stronger. He nodded and understood. 'I didn't know my parents. I didn't have anything.'

'So you started to learn and now have a doctor title with nineteen' he finished her explanation.

'And what did you spend the last seven years with?' she asked alluringly.

He smiled. 'Oh, travelling around the world, spending a night here and there.'

'You're a lousy liar, Mister Wayne.'

'Oh, come on.' He kissed her again, long and intensively. It felt so good.

'No explanation for the last seven years, no explanation for strange wounds, you seem to have an adventurous life, Bruce' she smiled at him.

'Oh, you have no idea' he opened her bra and she threw it away. He didn't know that she knew.

* * *

><p><p>

'I'm glad that you came, Dr. Crane' the woman said.

'No problem. Suicide attempt?'

'Seems to want mental incapacity. But before anything worse happens…'

'Of course, be on the safe side' Crane smiled his usual fake smile. He was extremely pissed off. Falconi was only a tool and now he made nothing more than trouble.

'Hey, Dr. Crane. I can't take it anymore. It's all too much. Bla, bla, bla. A few couple of days with this food, it may be true' he complained.

Jonathan silently and calmly took a seat. He was very self-disciplined. 'What do you want?'

'I want to know how you will convince me to keep my mouth shut.'

'About what? You don't know anything' he said staring at Falconi with his cold blue eyes.

He has no idea what he is fucking with, Jonathan thought.

He used his poker face, as always but obviously didn't want to hide how much he was nerved by Falconi. He had better things to do than sitting at prison and being talked to by such an unimportant tool for his boss.

'I know that he doesn't want the cops to take a closer look on the drugs. I know about the experiments on the inmates of your nuthouse.'

Jonathan knew what this meant, but he stayed calm and didn't react to anything. He already had a perfect solution. His light blue eyes kept looking deeper at Falconi. There was no sign of pity in Jonathan's eyes. He knew that Falconi didn't have any idea of what he was playing with.

'And those guards you used. I own them. This is my town. Now, I've been bringing this stuff in for months. So, whatever he's planning. It's big. And I want in.'

'Well, I already know what he'll say. That we should kill you' Jonathan said moving again.

Actually, he had already the orders to take him out but not to kill him. He was surprised because Valentina had been exactly right about what Falconi wanted.

'Not in my town' Falconi said too confidently. Jonathan took off his glasses and sighed. He looked aside. He knew that to do. He loved it.

'Would you like to see my mask?' he asked. Falconi looked confused. Everybody looked puzzled at the first time. Not, that there would be a second time.

'I use it in the experiments. I know, it doesn't look scary to you, but those crazies, they can't stand it' he opened the trunk and took out the Scarecrow mask. He showed it and put it on.

'So when did the nut take over the nuthouse?' Falconi asked.

He didn't understand the danger he was in. He didn't understood either when he screamed or yelled in fear. Because then, he had already become crazy. Jonathan was impressed every time he used the poison.

It was so efficient. He has been very proud to demonstrate Valentina. He had shown the Arkham Asylum and she had helped her with the experiments.

He would have never thought that a young girl like Valentina was able to do such cruel things. Jonathan wasn't surprised about himself anymore, he had got used to the fact that he was a bad villain.

He liked his role and obviously Valentina liked him as he was.

**I'm thankful for every review :D**


	3. Arkham Asylum

**The next chapter of the Dr. Crane-based FanFiction. I hope you enjoy it. I'm thankful for every review. ;)**

Chapter 3

'What about Batman?' Ducard asked.

'Don't worry. I'll keep him occupied until you arrive. You can finish him yourself.'

'I look forward to it. Actually he should fight the war on our side. It is such a shame he is against us.'

'It was his own stupid decision.' Well, Valentina didn't consider his choice of 'side' as stupid. She wasn't convinced by Ducard's plan either but as she helped to develop it and was highly involved she couldn't quit.

It didn't matter to her if Gotham was destroyed and yet she didn't know if she eventually was going to help Batman. She just had so suddenly fallen in love with Jonathan Crane that her main importance was that they both survived the attack. She hasn't known before that she could actually feel love. Of course, she had had sex before, there had been enough Ninjas at the mountain palace and she had been the only girl and no rule of the community of shadows forbid any sexual acts (^^).

But now she even had feelings during it and she had never seen such intensive, light blue eyes. They were so hot and cold at the same time and also could express warm feelings and dark coldness at the same time. She knew that he could scare a lot of people just with his eyes _(remembering [especially] Jackson Rippner, also: Kitten, Timekeeper Leon…^^)_.

'That's right. Do you have any concerns-?' Ducard asked.

'No' Valentina answered shortly. She was absolutely sure that he didn't know about her doubts and her developing feelings for their tool Dr. Crane.

'Then watch the city until I arrive. I don't want Batman to have too much success.'

'I considered of first time letting him taste the poison' Valentina proposed.

She heard Ducard laughing, the quality of the phone talk wasn't the best. 'Do it. But let him survive. I wanna finish him off.'

'Yeah. When will you come?'

'In a few days. I need to arrange a few things but I'll let you know. Just play your role along, you're the best man I have.' He ended the phone talk and she smiled.

She threw the phone on her desk and picked up her black mask.

Show time.

* * *

><p><p>

Batman climbed up the building. He saw the teddy bears and went in through the window. He walked over to the armchair and opened the rabbit. Shit, Bruce inwardly cursed. He heard a door opening and hid himself.

When he looked around he saw the black Ninja girl standing behind him.

'Be quiet' she said. 'He's coming.'

'Who?' Batman whispered but the door already opened and Dr. Jonathan Crane and two other men entered.

Crane lightened up his torch and looked around. He examined the room. 'Eliminate all traces' he told them looking disgusted by the place. Well, a usual working surrounding.

'Let's burn down the whole house' one of the men suggested.

'Agreed' Crane said and walked over to the window.

It was open which was unusual. And Valentina had been right again. Batman was here. Crane was a bit pissed off that she didn't want to tell him who Batman really was but he believed her when she promised that she would tell him. Jonathan turned around when he heard something.

He saw that the other man went toward the noise but he was cleverer. He directly vanished behind the sofa.

Time to put on his mask.

He saw the second man falling down. Without thinking much about it, he had thought long enough, Jonathan jumped out and sprayed him the poison directly in his face. Of course, he inhaled it directly.

'Oh, aren't you well? Sit down.' Batman began to flail and try to defend himself before any kind of hallucination. Jonathan didn't know what he saw but it needed to be something that scared him. Such a man scared, he was impressed. He smiled although he knew that Batman couldn't see it through his mask.

'Sit down. Drink something.' Batman fell down to the floor and Jonathan took the bottle of pure alcohol and showered him.

'You look like a man who takes himself too seriously' Jonathan said. Serious, serious, serious _(Not the Joker, but Kitten)_, he thought. Fucking serious.

He didn't know that Batman saw bats flying out of his mouth. He tried to protect himself from them. Jonathan looked at the defenseless Batman. It was so easy. Batman struggled toward the window. Perfect.

'Do you know what I think? You need to lighten up' he said in his usual creepy voice and through the lighter at him. He started burning immediately and jumped out of the window.

Jonathan looked him fall.

'Congratulation' a voice behind him said.

He turned around. Valentina stood there, her mask in her hand. He took off his mask, too.

'He'll survive' she reassured him. 'And to make that sure, I need to go now. I have to bring him home and develop an antitoxin. I'm really astonished you haven't developed it yet.'

'I didn't think someone would need it' he explained. 'When will I see you next time, then?' he asked.

She stepped forward and kissed him intensively. She looked into his cold, light blue eyes. They were so kind. 'I'll call you', their faces were so close they nearly touched.

'I love you' he whispered. It has been so long time ago since he had last time said this.

'I love you too' she whispered back and went to the window. She re-put her mask. She looks so sexy in the outfit, he though.

'See you' she said and jumped out.

She found Batman on the roof. He just called Alfred. 'Alfred' he moaned. He was short before losing unconsciousness. The phone fell out of his hand. Valentina caught it up.

'Alfred' she said. 'Take a blood probe. He's been poisoned.' She waited there until she saw Alfred's car turning up. She made sure he saw her and then disappeared.

* * *

><p>Bruce, why do we fall?<p>

* * *

><p><p>

Bruce opened his eyes. Again. There was light, it seemed to be day again. He had a terrible headache.

'How long…?' he asked weakly.

'Two days. Today's your birthday' Alfred said and gave him a glass of water with vitamins.

'I have experienced this effect before. But this, was so much stronger' he said and drank. Bah, whatever it was, it was gross. 'A kind of hallucinogen. You can use it as weapon and spray it.'

'You've been out in the wrong clubs.' Bruce heard another voice. Lucius Fox came nearer to his bed. When Bruce looked around he also noticed Valentina standing in his room.

'I called Mr. Fox when your condition got worse after the first day' Alfred explained.

'Valentina managed to analyze your blood' Lucius continued the explanation.

'I isolated the receptors and catalytic proteins' she said.

'And, do I have to understand anything of it?' he asked.

'No, I just wanted you to know how difficult it was' she smiled. 'However, I managed to produce an antidote.'

'Can you produce more of it?' he asked.

'Do you want to intoxicate yourself again?' Lucius asked.

'Oh, you know how it works, Mr. Fox. You go out, want to experience something, someone passes weapon grade hallucinogens.'

Lucius smiled. 'We'll bring you what we have' he said and Valentina nodded.

'The antitoxin also can be used as vaccination' she said.

She knew that Lucius hasn't noticed that she had kept one dosage for herself. Before she had driven to the chateau, she had visited Jonathan to vaccinate him. Now, he was resistant against the poisoning. Valentina was already, as she has experimented a lot with it back in the mountains, she built up a kind of mental protection.

Ra's Al Ghul has trained her to defend her immune system against this poison and there was no effect for her at minimum dosage. But when she had explained Ducard that she had invented an antitoxin he had insisted that she injected it herself, too. He seemed to really like her and since his family had been destroyed he didn't have anybody. Valentina has always regarded him as a friend, guide, teacher, master and as a kind of father.

* * *

><p>'Do you amuse yourself?' Bill asked.<p>

'Bill? What does a big wheel like you in such a small apartment here down-under?' Lucius asked surprised.

He still worked. Valentina had been called to Arkham Asylum. As toxicologist and chemist she should determine if there was any poisoning in the crazy-gone Falconi. She had already expressed that she doubted it.

People went mad sometimes.

'I need information about the Wayne Enterprise 47-B-1-MB.'

Lucius thought for a while. 'A microwave device. Developed to vaporize the water supply of the enemy. After rumors, it was tested with chemicals on water basis. Although…it is illegal.'

'I want all information about the development of the project. All the data, files and backup disks on my desk. Immediately.'

'Do you miss one?' Lucius asked suspiciously.

'I will combine this department with the archive. I fire you and Mrs. Riddle will start three floors upstairs in the chemical section tomorrow morning.'

With that, he went off. Lucius watched him going.

* * *

><p><p>

'Ms. Dawes. That's against the law. I don't have anything to add to my report' Dr. Crane said. 'This is Dr. Riddle. She is toxicologist and couldn't determine anything unusual among all the toxic stuff Falconi usually takes' he added.

'Hello' Valentina said and shook hands with Rachel.

'Nice to meet you' the young lawyer smiled and turned back to Dr. Crane. She stopped smiling. 'I have questions to your report' she said confidently.

'And these would be?'

'Isn't it practical that a 52-year old man who never ever had any symptom of insanity suddenly suffers a psychical break down shortly before he gets accused?' she asked meanly.

She didn't know if she should trust the woman. Dr. Crane could have easily tricked her and she was far too young to be bought over. She seemed to be smart enough to resist and Dr. Crane could easily know that with a doctor title in psychology.

'As you can see, nothing of his symptoms is…practical' he said smilingly evilly.

'Did you check the toxicological tests?' she asked the chemist.

'Double checked them all. Nothing' Valentina answered. Of course, she had faked the testing results.

'Scarecrow?' Rachel repeated what Falconi whispered the whole time.

'Patients with delusions often direct their paranoia to any appearing projection. Here it is Scarecrow, the straw man' he answered smilingly.

Valentina had to resist smiling, too, he was just so cute, she could just jump on top of him.

'He isn't intoxicated with drugs' Rachel resumed.

'That's right, unfortunately' Valentina said. After a side view from Jonathan, she added: 'That would make an explanation easier.'

She is a perfect, beautiful liar, he thought.

* * *

><p>Outside, Batman heard every single word that was spoken.<p>

* * *

><p>'Inside here, only sanity keeps you powerful' Crane said.<p>

'You enjoy that you have an advantage' Rachel determined disgusted.

'I respect that mind is in charge over body. That's why I do what I do.'

'And I do my job to bring criminal like Falconi into prison and not to therapy.' She passed him and walked to the elevator. Crane and Valentina followed.

'I want that my psychological counselor also is allowed to examine Falconi inclusive another blood test. I want to know what you gave him and how you tricked her.' Rachel was convinced that Dr. Crane somehow fakes the young doctor's test results.

'Okay, tomorrow morning' Crane stood next to her. 'This evening' Rachel smiled. She felt herself confidential and stepped into the elevator.

'I already called my doctor.' Crane and Valentina also stepped into the lift and Crane used his special key to bring them down to basement.

'As you wish' he said already planning the evil.

* * *

><p>'Come here. I think you both should see this' Crane said and the two women followed him through the corridor. Valentina played along the innocent girl but she already knew his plan. But she had already told him that she suggested that Batman was watching them, somehow. So they had to play their roles.<p>

Crane opened the giant double-door and the two girls stepped into the great hall. What was seen, is not describable. There were no emotions in Valentina's face, she had already been there. But Rachel realized too late what she had got into.

'Here we produce our medicine. You should perhaps take some' he proposed to Rachel.

Disgustedly she turned back.

'It clears your mind.'

Valentina stayed where she was while the young and stupid lawyer ran to the elevator. Crane sighed and looked at Valentina. Play along, Batman is watching us, that were the words they both thought. She looked at him when he sighed and knew what to do.

She really, really loved it.

When he was about to do something wrong, something evil. He was such a badass but so lovable. He was so cute and sexy that she just wanted him alone in her bed. He turned around and walked back to the corridor. He already had his mask in his hand and put it over.

The elevator doors opened and he sprayed his 'medicine'. It was good that Rachel was breathing that heavily, she breathed it in all very fast.

* * *

><p>The men carried Rachel to the 'kind of' table. She was still breathing heavily and the hallucinations had already started. The blue eyes stared down at her through his mask. Valentina stood next to him, one of the men pointed a gun at her, just in case that the Batman already was around.<p>

Crane's light blue eyes were cold but could also be interpreted as pity. Of course, Valentina and he himself doubted that. It was just that feeling that another woman had to die, nothing that cared the world.

'Who knows that you're here?' Crane asked. He needed to be sure that nobody would search her…except for the Batman _(sorry, I wrote Batman and not 'the Batman' before and I think I'm gonna switch a few times because it's confusing, in Germany he's just called 'Batman' and not 'the Batman = __der__ Batman')_.

He started to repeat his sentence, she started to scream and suddenly the lights went out. Dr. Crane pulled off his mask and looked around. He knew what was up. 'Oh' he said.

'He's here.'

In opposite of the other men who were scared looking around, he more seemed to get an orgasm than to have fear.

'Who?' one of the men asked anxiously.

'The Batman' he looked around, excited. Valentina has been right again. She was such a smart girl, he knew that this information came from her, not from her boss.

'What shall we do?' another one of the dogs asked.

'What everybody does when he has an uninvited guest' Crane said. He looked as he had just gone crazy. Perhaps he was, it was such an honor to meet Batman, now even for the second time.

'Call the Police.'

'You wanna get the cops here?'

'They can't stop us anymore. But Batman has a talent for disturbing.'

He wanted to trigger him out. Crane smiled. 'You just need to get him out and police will beat him up. Come on' he said looking up to the ceiling. He was absolutely sure that he was there and he was right.

'What's about her?'

'She doesn't have long to live. The dosage was highly concentrated. The mind can bear it only limited' he smiled his usual evil-doctor-smile.

'Come on, now!' Crane looked up at the ceiling as everybody did. The men started to run around. He will take along one after another, Crane thought.

'Those rumors…you hear. Can he really fly?' someone asked.

What a stupid question, Crane thought. He saw Valentina rolling her eyes.

'I heard he can get invisible' someone else said scared.

'Well, ya see, we'll find out' Crane said crazily. He really enjoyed it. 'Right?'

And Crane had been right.

Batman took out one man after another. He watched from safe distance until only one man was left. At the right moment he jumped out and tried to hit him.

Poisoning would have no effect as he knew that Valentina has given him the antitoxin.

On the other side, Batman didn't know that from Crane.

Valentina also took out a few guards but without showing what she actually was capable of. She ran upstairs and watched when Batman took off the last man.

Now he struggled with Scarecrow. He pulled off his mask and grabbed him by his hair. Crane didn't look scared or frightened, he enjoyed it, it was so arousing.

'Taste of your own medicine, doctor' Batman said and sprayed the poison.

Next to the antitoxin, Lucius has been able to produce the toxin, too, of course, with the help of Valentina, although, this kind of poison was purely synthetically. Crane breathed the toxin and coughed.

'What have you been doing here?' Batman asked impatiently. For Crane, no hallucination started. Batman didn't know that he was vaccinated against it. But he played along becoming crazy.

'Who are you working for?' he asked again.

'Ra's Al Ghul' Crane cursed himself. Why didn't the vaccination work? But then he caught himself again.

The poison hadn't fully reached his blood yet, so that the vaccination couldn't work. Now it did.

'Ra's Al Ghul is dead' Batman said confidently.

Crane wasn't surprised that he didn't believe him. His girlfriend has told him that Batman has been actually trained by the society of the shadows to fight with them. But he had turned against them and destroyed the mountain palace.

'Who are you working for?' Batman asked once more.

Crane's eyes widened. It was so amazing. The great Batman didn't get it. So funny, actually, because he wasn't scared of him at all. His mouth was opened. His female eyelashes fluttered. The poison had to reach his veins, the antitoxin started to work.

'Doctor Crane isn't here right now. When you want you can make an appointment' he said with his eyes widely opened and staring crazily into the Batman's face.

Batman was disappointed and threw him away. He turned around to Valentina and then to Rachel. They heard the cop sirens.

'You need to get out of here. Rachel is poisoned. If she doesn't get the antitoxin she'll die' Valentina climbed down the stairs.

Batman picked her up. 'I'll rescue her. You go out. Tell them what happened.'

She nodded. Bruce already knew that she knew who he really was. 'Can you save her on your own, Bruce?'

'Yes, go out and I'll win more time' he assured her. She nodded and walked out immediately.

* * *

><p><p>

'What are you waiting for?' Gordon's partner asked.

'Back up' the police officer said.

'Back up?' he asked and didn't understand.

'The Batman's in there.'

Gordon looked to the entrance. A person appeared and ran out of the building.

'Don't shoot' he murmured when he recognized Valentina Riddle, the girlfriend of Bruce Wayne. She ran toward him, they had gotten to know on a trial where she had to make a toxicological drug test because the police department wasn't capable to.

'Is the Batman in there?' he asked.

She nodded. 'Rachel has been poisoned. He is trying to rescue her' she whispered.

Gordon nodded and walked pass her. He directly walked toward the building. Police officers screamed and took him as crazy.

But Jim knew what he was doing.

Valentina watched him. Perhaps Batman wasn't Gotham's only hope. This Gordon also had balls.

**Please review! (I'm sorry if the translation and my English aren't that well...it's actually better than what Google Translation once proposed me when I tried it for one single sentence. Well, I completely re-phrased this sentence afterwards so that it could work... ;) )**


	4. Ra's Al Ghul

**Don't forget to review! ;D**

Chapter 4

'When you told me about your brilliant plan about saving Gotham I didn't call the men in white only because of one reason: Because you said, it wasn't about thrill.'

'It isn't.'

'And how you would you explain this?' he asked and pointed on the TV which showed the car chase from Batman.

Bruce looked at it closing his shirt. 'Really good entertainment.'

'It is a wonder that nobody got killed.'

'I didn't have time to show respect to the traffic rules. It was Rachel's life that was in danger. She is downstairs and sleeps and I want her to bring her home...Is Fox still here?'

'Yes, sir. And Valentina wanted me to tell you that she could only come later. She had some work.'

'I know' Bruce said and went off. Bruce entered the party and the crowd began to sing.

* * *

><p>'What was the plan, Crane?' Gordon asked and turned the Scarecrow mask in his fingers. He looked up to the doctor who was tied up in a white vest on the chair. He didn't seem to have lost his mind but was unwilling to cooperate.<p>

'How was the poison supposed to get into the air?' he asked. He needed answers. Why giving a toxin into the main water supply if it is only toxic if it's inhaled?

'Scarecrow' Crane muttered.

'Scarecrow' he said in a creepy voice.

He lost his mind, Gordon thought. 'For who have you worked, Dr. Crane?' Gordon's voice got louder. Scarecrow looked at the floor and then he looked directly with his cold light blue eyes into Gordon's face.

He smiled his evil triumphing smile that showed his advantage. He knew that he won. He was vaccinated and nobody could harm him in any kind of way. He wasn't crazy. And his boss already was in town. Nothing could stop him anymore, not even Bruce Wayne. The moment before Valentina had run up the stairs to 'save' herself, she had whispered it to him. Shortly before he had jumped on Batman.

Bruce Wayne, the rich inheritor. It must have been so clear. She went out with him because she knew. She was an evil snake, that was what he liked on her. She betrayed everybody, only he was the one she loved.

And he knew that it was the truth when she told him that she loved him more than anybody else in the world.

'Oh, it's too late. You can't stop it' he hissed in his creepy voice with his Irish accent and did this typical licking his lips that cannot be described.

He tried not to burst out into laughing when he watched Gordon became angrier. As he had studied psychology he knew what such a man thought. Gordon stood up and rushed out of the room.

'Here' he pushed the Scarecrow mask at the guard's chest. He took it.

* * *

><p><p>

'And you, thank you for this…thing.' Lucius turned around. Bruce stood next to him, smiling.

'You're welcome' he answered. 'I know that you'll use it wise.'

'I already did. How long would it take to produce huge amounts?'

'Weeks. Why?'

'Someone wants to spread the poison with intoxicating the main water system.'

'Only, water wouldn't be any useful through an inhalation.'

'What?'

'Except they would have a microwave transmitter which could vaporize the water inside the main water supply. Like the one that Wayne Enterprises is currently missing' he said with a concerned face.

'Missing?' Bruce asked.

'Earle fired Valentina and me because I asked too many questions.'

'You need to go back to the facility and produce more of the antitoxin.'

'I don't have any access anymore.'

'But that can't stop you, can it?'

'No' Lucius laughed.

Bruce walked through the crowd when an elderly woman stopped him. 'Bruce, here is somebody you _have_ to get to know!'

'Not know.'

'Come on. Do I pronounce it right when I say Ra's Al Ghul?'

Bruce turned back just to see Ra's Al Ghul looking at him. 'You're not Ra's Al Ghul' Bruce said astonished.

Well, of course not, there weren't any similarities. 'I watched him die.'

'But…is Ra's Al Ghul immortal? And does he have…superhuman forces?' a voice behind him asked.

Slowly Bruce turned around. Ducard stood in front of him, smiling.

'Or is it a cheap trick to protect one's own identity, Ra's?' Bruce slowly began to understand.

Ducard/ Ra's smiled. His pupil was good, he was the one who had taught him. But the master didn't decide for a success, one's own decisions did. 'You owe me your life.'

'I have warned you from pity, Bruce.'

'This is just about both of us. Let me tell the guests to go' Bruce knew that when Ducard arrived, something bad was going to happen.

'Of course I want you to explain them this' Ducard said waiting for Bruce to invent any lie.

* * *

><p><p>

Bruce turned around to Ducard. Most of the people were leaving through the grand door, only a few servants stayed, men of Ra's Al Ghul. Bruce looked up the stairway. A person walked down, she wore black clothes and a black mask. The little Ninja, Bruce thought. Of course, it had been her.

She wore her latex costume again, no gadgets, she was fast and flexible enough to resist any attacks. She was trained to perfection. 'How much I missed you' Bruce murmured ironically. He was sure that she smiled under her mask. She came toward Bruce and Ducard.

She was, of course, smaller than the two men, but far more dangerous.

'Amusing. But also senseless' Ducard judged. 'None of these men will live anymore soon. Your jokes in the nuthouse forced me to act.'

'So Crane did work for you?' All three started to walk through the chateau.

'His poison is developed out of a substance that can be earned of our blue poppy.' Bruce started to remember when Ducard told him.

'He made a weapon out of it' the Ninja girl explained.

'How old are you know?' Bruce asked out of interest.

'Nineteen' she answered.

'Crane is no member of the society of the shadows' Bruce declared.

'That's right. He thought our plan would be to blackmail the city' Ducard continued.

'But you want to air Crane's poison in the whole city' Bruce finally saw the consequences of the plan. It would be fatal for whole Gotham city, they would all kill each other.

'And see, how Gotham destroys itself by angst and panic' Ducard stopped, next to her the Ninja girl. Bruce turned around.

He didn't know that at the pretty same moment, the doors of Arkham Asylum were opened and the nuts were free to go out.

'You will erase hundreds of lives' Bruce said.

'Only a cynical person would describe this as a life' Ducard decided sharply. 'Crime, desperation and doubts, people were never supposed to live like that. The society of the shadows has been preventing for over thousands of years that the humanity gets distracted by corruption. We balance everything out.'

'Gotham can still be saved' Bruce declared his point of view.

The ninja girl next to Ducard slightly nodded. She seemed to disagree with her master.

'We could infiltrate every single infrastructural layer of this city without any toil' Ducard said. He thought of Valentina next to him. She had Crane, a doctor and leader of the nuthouse, who now was there as a patient, and Bruce himself, the richest man of Gotham and the Batman who didn't know that his girlfriend was his greatest foe.

* * *

><p>The two police guards threw the Scarecrow mask on his knees. Crane looked up smiling crazily and evilly. 'Time to play' one of the guards said. Crane knew what he had to do. He was resistant but nobody knew about his vaccination. He didn't lose his mind although he knew that nearly about every single person in this city would do pretty soon.<p>

* * *

><p>'When I have found you in the prison, you were lost' Ducard said. 'I didn't believe that you would master the training. But she did. And because of her, I kept on training you. I was the one who wanted to kill you because you were worthless. She told me to see the best in you. And unfortunately, she is right. And you should now stand here to my side and save the world.'<p>

'I think you do have somebody to your side' Bruce responded drily. 'And I stand where I do belong to. Between you and the people of Gotham.'

'Nobody can save Gotham' Ducard decided strictly. The other members of the society started to lighten up the building.

'When a wood grows too quickly, a cleaning fire cannot be prevented' Ducard explained. 'Tomorrow, the citizens have to watch, how their biggest city destroys itself.' _(At that moment the DVD stopped and my computer started having problems…I know, fascinating information…^^)_

'And now, we will succeed and no poor idealist can prevent it this time' he barked sharply.

The Ninja girl calmly watched the scene. The wood around started to burn brightly. 'I will stop you' Bruce screamed when another ninja attacked him from behind. He knocked him out and Ducard took a sword.

'You never learnt to watch your environment' he hissed and pushed him backward. A burning piece of wood fell down on Bruce.

He lost consciousness.

'Let us go' Ducard told his man who directly ran. 'And make sure nobody gets out' he added and walked toward Valentina who was staring at unconscious Bruce.

'Come on' Ducard hissed.

he turned around and looked into his face. 'I'll follow later' she said shortly and without any emotions.

'Why? You love him?' Ducard said angrily.

'No, I just wanna see him die. For my own satisfaction…and for yours' she said and removed her mask. Her black eyes stared at Ducard who started to smile.

'Okay, but make sure you get out in time _(haha, In Time^^)_.'

'Just continue. I know where you'll be' she answered and watched him go. She stared at the burning wood. She looked around to make sure that Ducard and his men were out.

Then she kneed down and tried to push up the piece of wood that covered Bruce.

* * *

><p>'How many from the maximum security prison?' Gordon asked when he reached the big hole in the wall.<p>

'All of them are gone. No exceptions' his partner answered.

'They should take up the bridges. Nobody of them is supposed to get away from the Island.'

'Pull the bridges up? After I brought in every available unit who is searching after them, I should pull up the bridges?' he answered snappily.

* * *

><p><p>

'I hope you're not a member of the firefighters' Alfred said and knocked out the Ninja. He walked through the burning door and looked around.

'Alfred!' he heard a female voice and turned around. The Ninja was kneeing there, trying to push the piece of wood away. Alfred was puzzles, she didn't wear his mask.

'Valentina?' he asked and ran toward her.

'Help me!' she said and put back her mask. Together they threw the wood balk away and Bruce got conscious again just in time.

'Don't tell him' Valentina whispered so that only Alfred could hear it and he looked at her black mask.

It has always been her, he thought with fascination.

Valentina grabbed Bruce under his arm and they fled to the working room. Alfred did the combination at the piano and the bookshelf opened. The Ninja, he and Bruce went into the elevator and more broke down. When they reached the cave bottom, they all looked up.

It was a yellow-orange explosion, the whole chateau seemed to have caught fire. Unbelievable, Alfred thought.

'What did I do?' Bruce asked. 'I wanted to save Gotham but I failed.'

'Why do we fall, sir?' Alfred asked. 'Because then we learn, to stand up again' he added smilingly.

'Bruce, we can still save Gotham' the Ninja whispered.

He looked at her. 'Who are you?' he asked.

'Just a shadow' she answered and stood up.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, chaos had broken out in Gotham City. Police officers chased the criminals and crazies from the nuthouse. Crane still wore his white jacket and his Scarecrow mask. With it, he felt himself stronger and scarier. Nobody took notice of him while everybody ran around in sheer, bloody panic. Crane thought that he had nothing to lose anymore, police had caught him and they knew about his double-life, his secret identity, the feared Scarecrow.<p>

And soon they would know about the experiments with his patients and everything would be clear, they would hunt for him. But nobody of them lives long enough to do so, Crane thought and walked on. He was resistant against the poison and he would keep a clear mind. But one it was aired, everybody else went crazy and attack him. Crane was scared, he had to admit this.

He had heard that the bridges were pulled up but he didn't care. He wasn't fast enough. He watched one of the police officers fall down from a horse. That brought him to an idea.

He took the reins of the horse and jumped on it. On the horse he was much faster. He noticed the lawyer Rachel Dawes. He smiled. She seemed so scared. He rode toward her.

'Crane?' she asked screaming.

'No, Scarecrow!' he said in his deep, creepy voice. 'You don't need to fear anything…except for the fear itself!'

He lost her a few streets further and just laughed about how he must have scared her and the little boy. He knew that she was vaccinated but he didn't want to imagine what the little child has just hallucinated. He rode back and a few streets away from his goal he let the horse go and walked the rest of the way.

He arrived at his destination, the house of Valentina.

She had told him to get there and not to leave under any circumstances until she got there, too. It was the only place where he was safe and nobody would get in there to attack him, hopefully. Crane pulled out the key she had given him and opened the door. He had been there before, in the far too small apartment. It wasn't in one of the best districts of Gotham and he wondered why she had chosen it. She seemed to be attracted by evil and bad. He double-locked the door and closed the curtains of the two small windows.

He searched the louver and let it down. He switched off the light in the bedroom to be sure that nobody saw that someone was in there. He was goddamned scared. Usually he was the one who scared the others. He walked to the kitchen and sat down. Valentina had told him to wait but what should he do? Sit there and wait until she got killed by any mad citizen?

Well, it seemed far distant that anybody would succeed to kill her. He had seen her fighting his own men in the nuthouse and she hadn't even done the best because Bruce had been there. She had knocked out a 150-pound man with one hit. That was really impressive and Jonathan wondered where she would be right now. She had told him, that Ra's Al Ghul wanted to visit Bruce, which meant that the Batman would die.

But on the other side, she had reassured him that he would not and that she tried to save the city from destruction. She needed something to play with. And Gotham and innocent Bruce were perfect for her evil and crazy mind. That is what she makes so attractive, Jonathan thought and smiled.

He hoped her to come soon.

* * *

><p><p>

All bridges were pulled up and nobody could leave or enter the Island.

'Hey, what was that?' Rachel asked angrily when the 'police officer' pushed away the small boy.

'It is time to 'spread' our message' Ducard jumped out of the car. 'And the message is: Panic' he activated the microwave device and all at once, the water in the water system began to vaporize.

Ducard put on his mask and smiled. It got foggy, the water went gaseous and the poison was in the air. It started to show its effects immediately, the people began to panic, hallucinate.

* * *

><p>Batman and the Ninja went into the car and drove toward the city.<p>

'We need backup' Gordon said. 'All back-up already is in there. We have nobody' that was the answer exactly in the moment when the Batmobil jumped over the river. Gordon looked around. Batman and his shadow got out. 'The people tear each other apart' Gordon explained. 'They went crazy.'

'I'm gonna search Ra's Al Ghul' the Ninja whispered to Batman. 'He thinks that I am still on his side but you need to help. They will kill me if he suspects that I changed sides.'

'Be careful' Batman didn't know himself why he cared. But somehow he liked her. Batman turned to Gordon and started to explain his plan.

* * *

><p>'I told you he came' the small boy said.<p>

'Wait. You could die' Rachel walked after him.

'Tell me at least your name!'

Batman thought. 'Who I am, isn't important. How we act, shows who we really are.'

'Bruce?' Rachel asked astonished but Batman already jumped down.

* * *

><p>'Oh, you took my advice on staginess really literally' Ducard said ironically astonished.<p>

'It ends here and now' Batman decided in his deep voice.

'For you and the citizens of Gotham perhaps' Ducard said. Ninjas went down on the ropes behind him.

'Didn't you tell me he died?' he asked the female Ninja next to him.

'At least I thought so. I was sure' she answered. He turned around to her.

'This isn't what a 'surely' dead man looks like.'

'Then let me kill him now' she hissed. 'No. We've got a town to destroy. They will take care' Ducard said and the four Ninjas started to attack.

'Four of your Ninjas won't stop me' the Batman said.

'We'll see' Ducard answered and he and the Ninja girl went up to the Wayne train.

Valentina and Ducard entered the train and he started it. 'Why did you let him escape?' he asked angrily.

'I did not. He must have freed himself after I went out, too. I though he died in the fire' she explained herself.

'The same thing he had thought about you' Ducard answered.

'Your four Ninjas won't stop him' she said.

'When he comes, I'm ready. And I hope, you are ready to kill him, too' Ducard answered and stood in front of Valentina. He was about one head taller than her.

'Can I count on you, Valentina?' he asked with a harsh voice.

'You always could. You have been like a father for me, Ra's' she said in low voice.

'Have been?' he asked surprised. In exactly that moment Batman jumped in through the broken window.

'You wanted it like this' Ra's Al Ghul pulled out his sword and walked toward the Batman. Valentina rolled her eyes which couldn't be seen under her mask. Typical men, she thought. Crane is different.

* * *

><p>'Familiar. Don't you have anything new?'<p>

'What about this?'

Valentina leaned against the glass and watched them fighting. Ducard's sword was just thrown to her feet. She picked it up and examined it. She continued watching. The train gained speed. Ducard threw Batman on the floor and sat on top of him.

'You're pathetic' he hissed and hit him again. Batman moaned because of the pain.

'Don't be afraid, Bruce' Ducard hissed and didn't notice Valentina slowly coming nearer. 'You're just an ordinary man under a cape and you can't do what is necessary and that is why you can't stop this train' he hissed evilly.

Valentina stood right behind him.

'Who said anything about stopping?' Bruce said in high voice, he nearly could breathe.

Ducard looked up, exactly in the moment where Valentina stabbed his own sword right through his heart. He screamed loudly and yelled in pain.

'You?' he turned around. The Ninja just stared at him, he stared at her mask.

'Betrayer' he said with his last words and fell aside, not moving anymore.

'Let's get out of here' she said.

'You killed him' Bruce said.

'Kind of satisfaction' she muttered. 'He taught me to kill. And now I did' she said. Kind of irony.

They both saw that the next part of the rail road was missing, Gordon has succeeded.

'Grab a hold on me' Bruce said. She clinched him and he jumped out of the falling train. He opened his wings and they started to fly over terrible looking Gotham downtown. The train collapsed and the microwave device was completely destroyed.

They landed on a roof. 'Thank you' the Ninja girl said.

'I am the one who should thank' Batman declared. 'You killed Ra's Al Ghul.'

'If I weren't there, you would have done it.' Bruce was sure she smiled under her mask.

'Now, excuse me, I have an appointment' she said, turned around and jumped down of the roof. He watched her disappearing in the crowd. He thought what she was about to do? She killed her master and she had to start a new life.

Perhaps she would stay his shadow and prevent him from losing or turning evil.

The Batman knocked on the metal.

'Nice' he judged. Gordon turned around. Batman and the Ninja stood right there.

'I couldn't find any Mafia bosses' the police officer explained. 'You really started something. Bad cops running scared, hope on the streets. Unfortunately we weren't able to pick up Crane. He's gone. We were at his home, nothing left.'

'You will find him.'

'They are always exaggerating. What we start, they do already do' Gordon explained.

He didn't see hope but he was hopeful to see it one day. 'And you're both wearing masks, jumping of roof tops…take this guy.'

He pulled out a calling card and showed in to them. Batman took the card and turned it around.

'Armed robbery, likes theatrical performances, like you' Gordon explained. Batman and the Ninja looked at the card.

The Joker.

**Well, as Crane is still part of the next movie, I think this FanFiction will go on. And Valentina is still there...sleeping with both Scarecrow and the Batman...what about the Joker? ;)**

**Please review!**


	5. Batmen

**This chapter begins at the end of 'Batman Begins' and the beginning of 'The Dark Knight'. The main focus is still on Crane and his relationship with Valentina and on her betraying Bruce and trying to get to know the Joker...**

Chapter 5

_(the 2nd movie I do have in English [and Spanish and German] so I do hope that I get the quotes right although it doesn't mean everything they say because I'm not a native speaker…I blame my English teacher for my bad English^^)_

Crane woke up when he heard someone unlocking the door. He jumped up immediately and looked carefully around the corner.

'Jon?' someone asked. He walked around. Valentina closed the door behind her. She threw the mask on the bed and ran toward Jonathan.

She jumped into his arms and they kissed very long. 'Hey, I missed you' she said and hugged him deeply.

'I was so worried about you' he admitted.

She smiled. 'Everything is okay. Ducard and his men are dead and Gotham's saved' she said and kissed him.

They kissed and walked down the three stairs and over to the bed. He pushed her on it. She laughed.

'So, the police is after you, now' she said.

'I'm a criminal now' he answered.

'Oh, you have been before. Do you wanna stay here?' she asked seriously. He lay down next to her on the bed.

'What about Bruce? He's your boyfriend.'

'Oh, I just make sure that we meet at his house. As his chateau burnt down he will have to live in the Penthouse. And, well, you are the man I love.'

She looked into his cold light-blue eyes, so indescribable.

'I don't have a problem with you sleeping with him. Just fool him around.'

'Are you sure?'

'Are you my dad? He always asked this._ (reference to another film^^I know, I do a lot of cross references…)_ And yes, I am sure. Because you need to stay informed about Gotham, Wayne Enterprises and the Batman' he was absolutely sure that she loved him. And he loved her.

She smiled. 'Well, I don't think that it will last long that I got fired. Bruce won't allow it.'

'That means you will return?'

'And care about gadgets for the hero of our city and actually, I destroy him.'

'You're so cute' he said and started to undo her Ninja costume.

It was harder than it looked like. 'There's a zipper in the back' she said and turned around.

He opened her costume and she removed his white clothes. 'I was so free to gather a few clothes from your house' she admitted.

'You did what?' he asked puzzled.

'After you were caught and I knew that you would escape, I also knew that you would not have a lot of possibilities.'

'But you're the best possibility I can ever imagine' he said and opened her bra.

She smiled and fondled her head and his dark brown/ black hair which was obviously colored _(what's his real hair color? Light brown?)_.

'I love you' she said when he started to lick her nipples.

* * *

><p>The third man with a clown mask entered the car and the car continued driving. 'We have our guy, let's do this' the first man with a clown mask, the driver, answered. 'That's it? Three guys?' the cover driver asked.<p>

The clown in the back charged his weapon. He knew more. 'And two guys on the roof' the drivers responded. 'Everybody gets his share, five shares, is twenty.'

'Six. Don't forget the guy who planned the job' the co-driver reminded him.

The man in the back said nothing.

'I know why they call him the Joker.'

* * *

><p>'Why do they call him the Joker?' the woman asked. The man who read the newspaper answered: 'It's because he wears make-up.'<p>

'Ah' the woman responded. They all waited in the queue at the bank.

'Yeah, to scare people, war paint' the young woman who also waited answered.

'Well, he doesn't scare me' the elderly woman said.

The young girl shrugged. 'Depends' Valentina said and moved one step further in the queue.

In the past two weeks she had managed to build up a reputation in the Gotham underground, not as a Ninja girl, but as a killer. She also worked with Scarecrow and nobody knew that they were a pair. So, Valentina had also gotten to know about the Joker. And with a few contacts it had been easy to find out where he would attack the next time.

* * *

><p>The three clowns entered the bank. The driver fired a few bullets into the air and the people screamed and fell down to the floor as you expected them to when they panicked. Valentina remained calm and looked around. Three clowns, she betted there were more, somewhere.<p>

The Joker must be among them, she thought and sat down as the rest of the people. She put her hands up like everybody else and did nothing. Batman won't turn up anyway, she knew, but she hoped Bruce wouldn't find out that she was there right now. She didn't want him to find out who she really was.

One of the clowns came over to her and put a hand grenade in her hands. 'If you move, you're dead' he said.

'This one's a fake' she laughed silently. She could differentiate between a wrong grenade and a fake one.

'Who are you to decide?' the clown asked.

'Who are you?' she hissed back. It was the voice she wanted to hear. She had heard the Joker a few times, when she had been silently listened. She wanted in. She wanted to be one of his (wo)men so that she knew what he planned. She already knew that it was going to be something big or he wouldn't steal so much money. She smiled. The man smiled at her.

He removed his mask and looked into her face. His face was white and smiled at her, make-up. She smiled, too.

'Wow, you show your face under the mask really fast' she played astonished. She didn't care that people watched the scene. The other clowns were killing each other. The only one was down in the basement getting the money so he didn't notice it was the Joker who was the last clown.

'Because this is my mask' he said crazily and showed her his face.

'And I don't need make-up to hide my face' she hissed.

'You're brave. I like that' he came close to her face and fondled through her hair. She enjoyed it.

All of sudden, he stood up again and put back his mask.

The last clown came upstairs and threw the bag on the floor. 'That's a lot of money. If this Joker guy is so smart, he would have brought us a bigger car' the clown said and charged his weapon to point it at the Joker who wore his clown mask.

'I'm betting the Joker told you to kill me as soon as we loaded the cash.'

'No, no, no, no. I kill the bus driver' the Joker said and moved and the other guy moved, too. Well, he didn't watch his environment.

'Bus driver? What bus driver?' Well, that were the last words he said.

* * *

><p>The car arrived, finally. Crane had already gotten nervous that something could have gone wrong. The car parked and the Italian drug dealer went out. Crane didn't like him very much. He nodded to his own men and they jumped out of the car and opened the door. Crane stayed seated confidently. The Italian took the hallucinating junkie and threw him on the ground.<p>

'See what your drugs did?' he asked angrily.

Scarecrow remained calm. 'I told you my campaign would take you to other places. I never said it were places you wanna go' he got out of the car confidently.

'If you don't like what I have to offer, you can buy from someone else' he said.

He noticed the lights outside and he didn't doubt that Batman would turn up soon.

'As soon as Batman left anybody to buy from' he said ironically and the dogs began to bark.

'My dogs are hungry' the Italian said loudly and suddenly he noticed a batman. 'Pity there is only one of you' he laughed but in the same moment one of his guards was knocked out by another batman. Suddenly there were about three batmen and one even started to shoot with a gun. Scarecrow looked around.

'That's not him' he said and ran to the driver's side of the car.

That's so annoying, he thought and opened the car to drive away. So many fake, so worthless, he thought. He took off one of the batmen with his poisonous gas and climbed into the van.

'That's more like it' he decided, especially when the Batmobil did its 'intimidate' part. Valentina has explained Crane every function of the Trembler and even brought him copied instruction plans. He wondered why she wasn't here yet.

Valentina jumped into the scene, wearing her usual black Ninja-Latex costume and with a few hits she knocked off one of the imitators playing the Batman. She cooperated with Bruce and knocked out the rest of them , the Italian already has disappeared.

'Where's the other one?' Bruce asked when they saw the white van escaping.

'It's Crane' the Ninja said pointing at the can and Batman jumped at this white car. He lost it in his chase and walked over to the railing. He waited for the right moment and jumped down on top of it.

He brought him upstairs where the Ninjaalready had tightened up the wrong batmen. The Batman pulled off the mask of Scarecrow and the Ninja had been right.

It was Dr. Crane.

'Don't let us find you out here again' Batman said when the Ninja tightened up Crane, too.

'We were just trying to help you' the Fatman said.

'I don't need help' Batman said and jumped into his Batmobil.

'Not my diagnosis' Dr. Crane judged.

Bruce got into his Batmobil. He wouldn't have thought that Crane would still be dealing with his poison. He used it as drugs. Of course, he had changed a lot. His shirt seemed to be old and his hair wasn't as done as usual. He had to live in secret, Bruce didn't know how he had managed to stay undiscovered for so long. He drove away while the Ninja still regarded the batmen and Dr. Crane.

She waited until the Batman was out of sight and undid the rope so that Crane could stand up again. 'Thank you' he said.

'Hey, why are you helping him?' Fatman asked.

'You have your gun with you?' Valentina asked.

Crane nodded. 'You know that I don't use it anyway' he added and gave it to her.

He was a lousy shooter _(like Jackson Rippner…)_.

'But I do' she said and killed all three Batman imitators. She gave the gun back to him.

'Drive home' she said.

'What about you?'

'I still have some business to do.'

'Can't you decide for which side your playing now?' he asked.

She removed her mask and smiled. 'I decided. And I decided that I love you' she kissed him. 'Tonight I will save Gotham but tomorrow I will need to find the Joker.'

'And what about a night with me?' he asked.

She kissed him again. 'After I'm back from my job and before I go to the Wayne tower' she promised.

'I love you' he said and kissed her. 'And don't forget to Bruce. We need him' he added.

She smiled when she watched him going.

**Don't think that only because there are no other appearance of Dr. Jonathan Crane in the movie, there won't be any in my FanFiction because he WILL appear again as it's Crane-based ;D**

**Please do review!**


	6. Abduction

**Please review! Tipp: Either listen to the Batman music (it helps getting the ambiance of the movie) or watch the movie while reading this story. I watch the movie while writing so I don't explain the scenes in detail.**

Chapter 6

Alfred entered Bruce's bedroom in the Penthouse with breakfast on a tablet for just getting to know that the only person in his bed was Valentina, sleeping. Alfred placed the tablet on the table when she woke up.

'Where's Bruce?' he asked.

'I assume he's downstairs patching up himself. And I really hurried that I'd be back before him' she said and sat up. She wore her usual ACDC sleeping T-Shirt.

'When do you consider to tell him?' Alfred asked worrying.

'Alfred, shall I tell him that I worked for his archenemy and that I am his shadow watching him night after night?'

'You changed side. It wasn't your fault, you were growing up with Ra's Al Ghul. You didn't know anything else. But it is his right to know.'

'I will tell him. When we caught this Joker guy' Valentina promised.

'Perhaps you need to cooperate to fight a man like him.'

'But cooperating doesn't mean to know each other's face.'

'You know his.'

'Because I trained him.'

Alfred sighed.

'I know, Alfred. But I don't tell him because I love him. I don't want him to worry about me when I go out and fight the criminal at night. He has enough to worry about.'

'In that point you are right. This time' Alfred admitted smilingly.

She smiled back.

He turned to go but turned back once more. 'How serious is he hurt?'

'Dogs.'

'Please?'

'He was attacked by dogs' Valentina explained. 'Nothing too serious.'

Alfred nodded and went out.

'Hey, Rachel' Bruce said surprised when he and Valentina walked through the restaurant to search a table. 'Fancy that.'

'Yeah, Bruce, fancy that' she said surprised. She was one of the few people who knew who he really was. 'Rachel, Valentina – Valentina, Rachel…I don't think you know each other yet?' he asked.

'No, great to get you to know' Rachel said.

'The pleasure is all on my side. Heard a lot about you' Valentina answered.

'Only the best, I hope.'

'Of course' Bruce reassured her.

'Bruce, this is Harvey Dent' Rachel explained and they shook hands.

'The famous Bruce Wayne. Rachel has told me everything about you.'

'I'm sure she has not' he smiled. They put a couple of tables together and sat down.

Another night lost, Valentina thought when she took a seat. She had actually wanted to search for the Joker and tomorrow she had promised to spend a night with Crane.

'How soon can you get the money?'

'I already have' Laos explained. 'For obvious reasons, I couldn't wait for your permission.'

The crime bosses of Gotham city sat together in one of the weekly rounds, it was the second time, Valentina joined. She had been allowed into, after she had managed to rise to the city's best contract killer within one week and now was proudly known in the underworld. Of course, neither Bruce nor Batman did know anything about it.

Valentina had her own few bodyguards standing behind her while she sat directly next to Maroni, who had been very keen on getting her into the group. He was, as all of the other men, very impressed of her skills in killing and martial arts, as much as knowledge about explosive devices or other little tricks which she had learnt up in the mountains in Tibet. Ra's had trained her well and he would have been proud to see her as the only woman in the room.

'You can be assured, your money is safe' Laos said confidently.

Valentina's task in the drug cartel was the killing of other cartel's members or clients who didn't want to pay. Fortunately, there were enough of them. And she had been clever enough to get so fast up to the inner round not only because of her tits and her ability in the bed, well, that too, but mainly because of her skills and this was, what counted for a woman, among other things.

'Hahahahahaha' a voice got louder. The men and girl looked up. The Joker went in, not stopping to laugh.

'And I thought my jokes were bad' he said in his crazy manner.

'Give me one reason why I shouldn't tell my boy to blow your head off' the dark-skinned man said aggressively.

'How about a magic trick?' the Joker asked. One of the men came toward him. The Joker didn't seem to matter and stabbed a pencil into the table.

'I will make this pencil disappear' he said with his typical joker-ish voice and banged the head of the bodyguard on the pencil and let him fall down.

'Tadaa. It's…it's gone' he said and walked around the table. He stopped between Maroni and Valentina.

'You liked that trick?' he asked her and grabbed her at his hair. His face came close to his and she saw the evil smile, even seeable without make-up addition. 'I know you. And you know me, you knew who I was, before' the Joker remembered the scene in the bank.

He banged her head on the table, too. 'You know, I actually don't hurt woman. But if you're interested in hurting other people and you get bored of them' he pointed to the mafia bosses, 'then just call me' he said and gave her a white calling card in her hands. She turned it around: The same Joker playing card Gordon had showed Batman and her. He took her hand and with its help he stored the card in her leather jacket pocket.

Then he walked back to the head of the table and sat down.

'Let's turn the clocks back a year' the Joker started. 'Those cops and lawyers wouldn't dare-cross any of you. What happened? Your…balls drop off?...Not you' he smiled to Valentina. 'How old are you?'

'Nineteen' she said strongly and without any fear before the crazy man.

'Nineteen. Wow, that's cool. And you're more able to do any crime than _any _of these' he pointed around in the room. 'However, you see…a guy, like me-'

'A freak!' one of the men shouted.

'A guy like me' the Joker muttered and organized himself new, he didn't seem like a person who had a plan. 'Look, listen. I know why you choose to have your bloody therapy lesions in bright day light. I know why you're afraid to go out at night. The Batman. See, the Batman has shown Gotham its true colors, unfortunately. Damn, he's just the beginning. And as for the televisions' so called plan' the Joker pointed at the TV while everybody was listening and paying attention to him but Laos seemed to be the one who less agreed with the crazy mad.

'Batman has no jurisdiction. He'll find him and make him squeal. I know the squealers when I see them. And-' he pointed directly at Laos who cut the transmission.

'What do you propose?' the Italian drug dealer with the brown leather jacket asked.

'It's simple. We kill the Batman' the Joker proposed with his usual craziness. The men laughed and the Joker directly looked at Valentina. She didn't react at all. She knows something, he thought.

'If it is so simple, why haven't you done already?' Maroni asked.

'If you're good at something, never do it for free' he said directly.

'How much you want?' the Italian asked.

'Ah, half.'

'You're crazy.'

'I'm not. No, I'm not. We have to deal with it now or little Gamble, here, won't even have a nickel for his grandma.'

'Enough' the black skinned man screamed and jumped up. The Joker stood up immediately and showed his little firework under his coat. Some of the Mafia bosses jumped up panicking and the Joker watched their reactions. Valentina didn't react in any kind of way, self disciplined. She knew how to handle the Joker.

'You think you can steal from us and just walk away?'

'Yeah.'

'I'll tell everybody. Five hundred thousand for this clown dead, a million for alive. So that I can teach you some manners first.'

'Hey, wait. Why don't you give me a call when you start taking things more seriously' he said and put his calling card on the table. 'You can call me any time, it's my private number' he nodded to Valentina and slowly went out of the room.

'You promised me to have this night for me' Crane said. They were in the kitchen, dining together.

'I know' she sighed. 'I have…too much to do.'

'Perhaps you sleep with too many people' Jonathan proposed.

'Jonathan, I do love only you. But you wanted to go out, too because of your business. And I promise you that tomorrow we have a full night.'

'Don't you wanna spend your night at Bruce's again?' he asked nerved.

'No, he's flying to Hong Kong. And I'll follow one day later. So we'll have a full night' she smiled at him. He stared into her raven-hued, black eyes that could express so much at the same time.

'You're flying to Hong Kong?' he asked.

'To bring back Laos. And tonight I need to get familiar with the Joker. And I promise you that you won't get any sleep tomorrow night' she answered alluringly. 'I promise and I'll keep this promise because I love you, Jon' she said.

He smiled back. 'Okay, I need to make an important deal this night anyway.'

She smiled when he understood how important it was to her.

'Hey, it's somebody here. They said they just killed the Joker' one of his men said when another billiard bowl fall into the hole. 'They brought the dead body' he added and two other men came in bringing a black body bag and placed it on the billiard table. The black man opened it and saw the face of the Joker. He looked pretty dead, but wasn't.

'So, dead, that's five-hundred' the man stood in front of the body bag.

Suddenly the Joker jumped forward and held a knife at the man's neck.

'How about alive?' the Joker asked and smiled. *** 'Be fast' the Joker said and walked out of the building.

He turned around the corner and saw Valentina waiting there. 'I assume you have made your decision' he said smilingly. She nodded. They walked along the dark and empty street.

'So you want to join my little organization. Tell me one reason why I should let you in?' he asked. They both stopped, she were high heel boots so that she was about ten centimeters smaller than him.

She smiled. 'Batman already is on the way to Hong Kong. Laos will be here within a few days.'

'How should that convince me?'

'Perhaps I know Batman better than you do. Perhaps because he thinks I'm a friend' she said and opened the long trench coat she wore. The Joker looked at her black Latex-Ninja costume.

'You're in' he said and together they walked along the street.

It was about two hours later and they were in a small empty apartment in an abandoned house in one of the worst districts of Gotham City.

'So, that is what you look like without Make-Up' she said and looked into the Joker's face. They both lay in the bed, naked and hugging each other.

'You are the Ninja' he whispered still as crazy as he was with make-up. 'Do you know who the Batman really is?' he asked and fondled her hair.

She smiled. 'I am closer to him than you think. And than he thinks' she answered.

He looked confused.

She laughed. 'If you want him dead, I can help you. But first you need him to suffer' she kissed him again and he touched her waist.

'Do you know where I have such scars from?' he asked.

'Tell me.'

'When you tell me, where you got these scars' he touched her body. It looked like Patchwork.

'And I always keep what I promise' she said and opened her blouse.

He kissed her and removed his shirt and trousers.

'How did you find the Joker?' Jonathan asked when Valentina pushed him on the bed.

'As Batman's little shadow it is easy' she answered and undid her miniskirt.

'Will you help him to kill the Batman?'

'Let's see. Ra's Al Ghul wasn't able to destroy Gotham, perhaps the Joker will succeed.'

'You forget that Ra's couldn't win because you helped the Batman.'

'But the Joker is unpredictable. It will be more difficult how many lives he erases before finally killing the Batman.'

'Did you tell him that it's Bruce?'

'No, not yet. I told him that first, he has to make him suffer passively. Until Batman is forced to act.'

'You plan something.'

She smiled. He opened her bra with his mouth and threw it away. 'You need to be faster.'

'Opening a bra with a mouth isn't that easy.'

'I know. But I can do it faster.'

'How do you know?' Jonathan asked confused. Valentina turned around to him and kissed him.

She reached to the draw and picked up a condom. She opened it and he put it on. 'I love you' he muttered and touched her warm breasts. He turned above her and fondled her dark red nipples. She smiled and kissed him again, intensively.

He felt along her scar. 'Don't do that' she said whispering.

'Why not? Does it remind you on your early life in Tibet?' he asked. Their mouths nearly touched.

'I liked the hard training but it shows you who I really am: A monster, only trained to kill.'

'You're nothing like that' he tried to calm her down. She shook her head slightly.

'I can kill without emotions or regretting' she said and touched his cheek. 'You can't even kill one man.'

'I nearly destroyed whole Gotham' he reminded her. 'You didn't know what the men you worked for, planned.'

'But you told me. And I didn't do anything against it.'

'You couldn't. What if I had not prevented the destruction of the city. You couldn't live with the guilt' she touched his neck and pressed him closer on her body.

His chest touched her breasts. He didn't respond. 'You are evil, Jonathan, but you are not a killer. Not like me' she whispered into his ear.

'Maybe you're right. I couldn't stab someone in the heart' he admitted still in low voice.

She smiled. 'I love you so much' she said. 'Let us see how things develop and then decide for a side.'

'We hire the clown. He was right' the Italian said while eating for lunch with Maroni.

'He looks good on the tube' Gordon came in and commented Harvey Dent just doing interview in TV.

'Are you sure you wanna embarrass me in front of my friends?' Maroni asked.

'Oh, don't worry, they're coming, too' Gordon said confidently when the Police's special unit entered the restaurant. Laos had betrayed them all their names, except for one: Valentina. She had been in his cell why he had waited for his interrogation and, well, after a little 'conversation' he was sure that it was better, if he wasn't to tell anybody her relation in that case. He feared her, now that she was supported by and supporting the Joker.

Bruce and Valentina watched the video that ran through TV in an infinite loop all day. 'God' Bruce muttered.

Valentina grabbed his arm and laid her head on his shoulder. 'It isn't your fault' she whispered.

'I inspired those people.'

'You didn't inspire the Joker' she said. She had been in the room when he had made this video. After he had finished speaking, she had been allowed to kill the fake Batman. She had enjoyed it. She took the remote out of Bruce's hand and switched off the TV.

'People will die because of me' Bruce said shocked.

'Let's see.'

'He's a man of his words.'

'Bruce, don't get distracted by a crazy like him' she said and kissed him.

'Alfred, right?' Harvey asked when he accepted the glass of cava.

'That's right, sir' he responded smilingly.

'Yeah, Rachel talks about you all time. You know her her whole life?'

'Well, not yet sir.'

'Any ex-boyfriends I should be aware of?'

'Oh, you have no idea' Alfred said and let the confused Harvey standing there all alone.

That time the crowd looked up to the helicopter landing on the roof. Bruce and his girlfriend Valentina got out and entered. 'I'm sorry that we're both late but I'm glad to see you started without me, now' Bruce said and walked toward Harvey while Valentina stayed in the background.

She looked at Alfred's watch. The judge must be dead in about ten minutes, she knew. She hoped that Bruce would find out soon enough to rescue Harvey. She wanted the Joker succeed but not that easily.

'Where is Harvey? Here, Harvey, the man of the hour. Where's Rachel Dawes? She is my oldest friend, come here. You know, when Rachel told me she was dating Harvey Dent, I only had one thing to say: the man from the campaign commercials: I believe in Harvey Dent? Ya, nice slogan, Harvey. But, you caught Rachel's attention-' And the Joker's, Valentina thought. '-And I started to pay attention to Harvey. In all that he's been doing and you know what? I believe in Harvey Dent' Bruce finished his speak and earned applause from the people gathering there in the highest floor of the building.

The cars of the Joker and his men already parked outside. Valentina has given them the code for the alarm device which they enabled immediately. She looked on Alfred's watch again.

'Anything important you are missing?' he whispered.

'No' she whispered back smilingly. The commissioner was dead already, she knew it.

The crowd started to talk again and Bruce went out of the building to the balcony. Rachel went after him. Valentina sighed when they saw them together. They were a nice pair, although she was far too weak for him _(I'm sorry, but I don't like Rachel at all)_.

Bruce walked over to Valentina when Harvey borrowed Rachel for not feeling so alone. 'Hey' Bruce said.

'Hey' Valentina said.

'I just got a call from police' Bruce explained.

'And?' Valentina asked surprised.

'They said that Harvey would probably be the next victim of the Joker. I'll tell him' he explained and wanted to go.

'No, wait, Bruce. If the Joker is after him, he'll do it personally. It's Harvey. You should bring him somewhere safe' she warned him and nodded somewhere.

Bruce followed her look. 'You want me to hide him in the cupboard? He won't go in there voluntarily. He'll think that I'm crazy.'

'I said nothing about volunteering' she gave him that very special look and he understood and walked over to the pair talking.

'You cannot leave me alone with these people' Harvey said panicking. He wasn't used to such a crowd.

'Hey, even the Mafia is after you and they're more dangerous compared to these guys.'

'Yeah, but compared to this the Mafia doesn't scare me.' *** 'Alright, let's be serious now' Valentina heard Harvey saying.

She smiled. Serious, serious, serious, she thought. That was what Jonathan used to say.

She still wondered if he got the idea from the Joker, or the Joker from him. She sighed. Why did she only get attracted by people wearing masks and leading a secret double-life? Well, on the other side it was easy to answer as she has been grown up with wearing masks and fighting. But she had never met a man like Crane before and when she read about him, she has found him interesting and when she had started to observe him for her mission, she had decided that he just couldn't die like all the other citizens.

Why she finally had helped Bruce to save the city, she didn't know herself but perhaps this time, she wouldn't have enough pity for him. The Joker was a number greater and more chaotic, perhaps he had the skill to bring Gotham down, especially because Batman always thought that logical. But, she knew one thing for sure: whatever the Joker planned to destroy, she never wanted to leave Jon.

'What's your answer?' Harvey asked. Rachel sighed.

'I don't have an answer.'

'But there are only the answers yes and no.'

'Harvey!'

'There's someone else.'

'Harvey' she tried to calm him down.'

'Just tell me it's not Wayne. The guys a complete' were the words he said before the complete ? Wayne took him from behind and without any great toil he locked him up in a cupboard behind him.

'What are you doing?' Rachel asked puzzled and Valentina came from behind to stop her helping Harvey to free himself. Bruce knocked Harvey out and stored him in the cupboard. 'It's for his best' Valentina whispered to Rachel and let her free.

'They're coming for him' Bruce explained shortly and vanished through the next corridor while Valentina and Rachel hurried back to the party to avoid any attraction.

Suddenly, the elevator went open and the Joker stepped out. 'We made it' he said crazily, as usual. He fired his gun once in the air and suddenly, there was silence.

'Good evening, ladies and gentlemen' he started and walked around. 'We are tonight's entertainment. I do have one question: Where is Harvey Dent?' He walked around.

About twenty meters away, in the building opposite, Scarecrow stood and watched the scene through binoculars. He had the mask on the table next to him and just removed as he had just finished a new job not far away from there. He sat down on the desk in which office he ever was in and watched the scene in the other building. He knew that he was breaking the trust if Valentina ever found out but he needed to know how near she exactly had come to the Joker. He was crazy and wore a mask. He was a usual doctor and wore a mask. He trusted her when she declared that she didn't love Bruce Wayne but the Joker was a number greater.

Jonathan feared that she would fall in love with the Joker, whose identity she didn't know and who had a lot more to offer: destruction and chaos in Gotham City. When Ra's Al Ghul's plan has failed, Scarecrow's plan also had failed. Jonathan hadn't achieved anything. He had been a great psychiatrist with a doctor title but now he was a wanted criminal hiding in the house of Batman's girlfriend and trying to sell his poison on to other dealers. He had lost everything and the only thing that kept him in Gotham was the girl he loved. And he wasn't even sure if this was paid back.

She had sex with Bruce Wayne, a billionaire, who was a dark knight in the underworld, fighting for just and against evil and he had a lot more muscles than little Jonathan Crane. He had no idea why Valentina should love a man like him.

'You know, you remind me of my father' the Joker said. It was impossible to say what he planned next, he always was so unpredictable. 'I hated my father' he took out his knife and pressed it at the old man's mouth.

'Okay, stop' Rachel stepped into the circle. She pushed away Valentina's arm because she wanted to hold her back. Rachel wanted to end this rubbish. 'Well, hello beautiful' the Joker let the man free and walked over to Rachel.

'You must be Harvey's girlfriend _(what the hell did he say in the movie?)_.' Rachel seemed to be self-confident at first but Valentina saw her confidence breaking when the Joker went around her, got close to her.

'Well, you look nervous, is it the scars?' he stopped in front of her and still held the knife up.

'You know where I got them?' he asked and stepped forward, putting his knife into her mouth. Without hesitating long, Valentina stepped forward, pushed Rachel away and kicked the Joker strongly into his balls. Not as strongly as she could, she still wanted him to live.

'You're strong' the Joker laughed.

'You're…Bruce's girlfriend, right? Of course, you two must always stick together' he said with a side-look to Rachel who was glad that Valentina had intervened. 'You know, I love strong women' he laughed.

'Really?' Valentina asked and played the angry women. She walked toward him, tried to kick his legs off, he grabbed her hair and pulled it toward him while she beat the knife out of his other hand which flew away and landed on the ground. He was very close to her face, their faces nearly touch.

'Little bitch' he hissed joker-ish and smiled. She's a good actress, he had to admit. 'But I like pain' he laughed.

'Then you're gonna love me' a deep voice hissed behind him. The Batman took the Joker and threw him away. It followed a typical scene with three clowns versus one bat and a crowd standing uninterested and not helping around.

The Batman was just kicking one clown's ass and turned around. The Joker stood next to the window, Rachel in the arms, pointing a gun at her.

'No' Bruce whispered.

'Drop the gun' Batman ordered threatening.

'Oh, sure, you just take off your mask and show us all who you really are' the Joker answered smilingly as he always did and side-looked at Valentina.

She still had to tell him who he really was as she promised. He hoped that she really knew. As Batman didn't react, he shot the window behind him and all the glass splitters flew to the ground. He pulled Rachel nearer to the outside of the building.

He blinked, he was sure he just saw any reflected light from the opposite of the building. He didn't know if he imagined because of the small moment, but he was absolutely sure to have seen someone over there. Someone watching this scene with interest but not willing to interact or call the police. Nothing to worry now about, the Joker told himself and turned around to the Batman again.

He held Rachel out of the window. 'Let her go' the Batman ordered.

The Joker couldn't believe his ears. 'Very poor choice of words' he commented and let her go as ordered.

Immediately he stepped aside and saw the Batman jumping after Rachel. He watched them falling and was sure that at least he would survive the jump. He turned back to the crowd.

'So, I need a new hostage' he said and walked around in the circle.

'Any volunteers?' he asked and stopped in front of Valentina.

'What about you?' he asked and pointed the gun at her head.

'Come on, let's do a little walk' he grabbed her under the arm and pulled her into the elevator. 'Thank you all, ladies and gentlemen for attending our tonight's entertainment program' he said before the elevator doors closed.

'That was great' Valentina whispered after the doors were closed and the Joker freed her arm.

'You could have supported me more' he said standing in front of her. She put her hands on his shoulders _(that dancing scene in Breakfast on Pluto…^^)_ and said: 'You know, if there wasn't so much make-up, I would kiss you know.'

'Then let's make sure that we quickly get out of this trouble and somewhere silent and abandoned where I can finally wash off this paint.'

**Sometimes I don't really hear what they're saying in the movie when they're talking too unclear. I give my best to write and understand English but I'm not perfect.**

**Please tell me what you think and review. ;D**


	7. Falling down

**I am sorry that this chapter is shorter than the other ones but as this is a Jonathan Crane/ Scarecrow based FanFiction, it gets harder to add him to the story so that the end of the film is mainly uninteresting to his character. But I hope that he reappears in 'The Dark Knight Rises' so that I then can continue the story.**

**Please read and review!**

Chapter 7

'But this is different. He crosses the line. And he's got Valentina' Bruce said watching the video of the Joker. He didn't see any logic in it. 'You crossed the lines, first' Alfred remembered him to what he didn't want to heat. 'You forced the city to do such in its desperation when you brought Laos. And in their desperation you forced them to turn to a man they didn't fully understand.' 'How can it come more complicated, Alfred? I need to find out what he's after' Bruce turned away. The Joker had Valentina, did he have a suspicion that he was the Batman? Well, if not, he was safe. He counted on his girlfriend and was absolutely sure that she would never betray him. 'Master Wayne?' 'Yes.' 'Some men just want to watch the world burn' Alfred simply said. Bruce didn't bother to ask what it meant. He had to find out by himself.

'Harvey called. He said Batman's gonna turn himself in' stupid Rachel said. She still didn't understand the meaning. Bruce just stood there and watched outside. The last forty-eight hours, since his girlfriend has been kidnapped, he couldn't lose the feeling that he was watched. One time, he thought he'd seen Crane.

'I have no choice' he decided to say. He wanted to stop the deaths. But when he was going to say who he was, the Joker would never leave Valentina free.

'You honestly think that's keeping the Joker from killing people?' she asked.

'Probably not. But I have enough blood on my hands.'

Either the blood on more deaths or the blood of Valentina. But she would get more worth for the Joker. He wouldn't kill her if he told the world his true face. She would survive. And more people would.

'And I have seen now what I need to become to stop men like him' he added and turned to Rachel. She still wasn't convinced. 'Bruce, if you turn yourself in, you can never be with her together' she said.

He walked away, trying not to let her know that he was so surprised how she knew that he worried about Valentina. As Alfred said, it was too obvious. Love makes weak, he thought. But he just couldn't help.

_Scanning all systems. Scanning all system. Damage catastrophic._ _Eject sequence initiated. _Bruce tried to keep clear mind. He pushed the right button and suddenly the Bat-Bike jumped out of the car which self-destructed shortly afterwards. _Good-bye. _'Wow' Crane smiled only standing thirty meters away. He had to keep an eye on Bruce.

Batman drove as fast as he could, still not paying attention to traffic rules. He had to catch up with the truck. S_laughter is the best medicine._ He used the passage through the mall and hoped that nobody got injured. He saw the truck in front of him, he had a plan. It all was so fast and he just saw the truck lying upside down again. He was a few meters away and watched the Joker getting out. Next to him there was a second shillouette crawling out of the truck. It was Valentina. She was still wearing the dress of the party and she looked quite okay – from what Batman could see so far away.

Holy shit, he cursed. He hasn't seen her being the truck. She could have gotten killed. She slowly stood up and walked over to the police van. The Joker, however, stood up in the middle of the street. 'Come on, hit me' he muttered. Batman was as angry as he had never before, he had abducted his girl. He should pay for it. But in the last moment he considered that he didn't want to become like the Joker. He wasn't such a man. That was what he had noticed at the mountain palace those days, he had told Ra's Al Ghul. And he never changed his mind since that.

Before he could stand up again the Joker jumped onto him. But then he was immediately stopped by a gun pointed to the back of his head. 'Gottya, son of a bitch' Gordon said.

Batman was away, as always. He just disappeared.

'Everything okay?' Gordon asked Valentina who sat on the table and watched at the Joker who was sitting in his cell.

She nodded.

'Did the bitch do anything to you?' Gordon asked.

'No, it's alright. Bruce will catch me up' she said and tried to smile.

Gordon took her hands and nodded. She was a tough girl. Another police officer walked over.

'Back from the dead?' he asked and shook hands with Gordon.

'At least my…family is safe' Gordon muttered.

'What we got?'

'Nothing. No matches on fingerprints, DNA, no name-'

'Go home, Gordon. The clown will still be here tomorrow. Have some rest. You need it. Tomorrow to save the big job: Commissioner Gordon' he congratulated him.

'Rachel's gone' Alfred muttered when Valentina entered the living room. She nodded and the butler silently left the room. She sat down on the couch next to Bruce. He stared into nothing, he still wore his Batman suit, except for the head. The bat head stood on the table and looked outside the window. She didn't say anything and he didn't either.

Finally, she asked: 'Bruce, how…do you feel?' She leaned her head against his shoulder.

'I should have known.'

'No.'

'I should have known that the Joker had switched the addresses.'

'No. You could not have known. It's not your fault.'

'It's my fault!' Batman screamed and stood up. Valentina sighed. She wished she could be back at her home, back in the arms of Jonathan.

'Bruce, sit down. You couldn't know' she said silently.

Bruce looked at her, confused why she didn't get angry with him or even louder. He sat down like she wanted. 'Come here' she murmured and hugged him deeply. It was a long time and Bruce forgot everything around him for a while. No Joker, no Rachel, no Harvey. Nothing that could harm them. He forgot Valentina herself.

'Excuse me?' Alfred came in again. He looked worried when Bruce looked up. 'There is something you should see' he explained and turned on TV. Valentina fondled Bruce hair, the only thing which wasn't covered by his Batman costume, was his head.

_It's not about money, it's about sending a message._

'I had a vision of a world without Batman. I'd had a change of parts. I don't want him to spoiling everything but why should I have all the fun. Let's give someone else a chance. If _he _isn't dead in sixty minutes, then I blow up a hospital.'

Bruce just looked at the TV. He didn't notice Alfred and Valentina exchanging looks. She shook her head. Tell him, he formed again with his mouth. No, he is going to tackle it without knowing who is at his side, she answered silently back. Bruce stood up. He still wore his Batman costume.

'You shouldn't go there as Batman' Valentina proposed. 'By the way, you have no car.'

'How then?'

'They will evacuate all hospitals, especially the Gotham general. They can do it alone. You should rather be concerned on the Police Officers who are trying to get _him_ alive.'

He looked confused.

'Maybe one of them has relatives in the hospital. Someone might try to kill him.' Bruce nodded. As soon as he was out, Valentina stood up, too. 'And where are you going, Miss Riddle?' Alfred asked. She sighed.

'Bring chaos into the chaos' she said and left, too.

'I assume that was a riddle' Alfred sighed and hoped that chaos in a chaos meant order.

_You don't watch a lot of news, Mr. Wayne, do you?_

'Fifty people missing. One bus. All the other buses are heading to other hospitals.'

'I'm back' she said and entered her small apartment. She went in and sat down next to Jackson on the bed. He stared at the TV which showed the breakdown and complete collapse of the hospital. He had his mouth open.

'How many people died?' he asked.

'None.'

He looked at her.

She gave him a kiss. 'They evacuated in time. Only one bus is missing.'

'The Joker is playing his game with them.'

She nodded.

'What kind of game?'

'Let's watch TV. I think they'll keep us entertained the whole night long.'

'You stay here this night?' he asked surprised.

She nodded. 'I promised you to spend more nights with you.'

'Don't you need to go out and decide the game?'

She laughed. 'I played referee long enough. The whole time, I've been the sitter for little Batbaby. He can do it alone.'

'And if not?'

'If not…the Joker will rule Gotham. And you can be Scarecrow.'

'I don't want Scarecrow be my first identity. It's only my second.'

'Scarecrow is the only one who can go out. Jonathan is the one who is wanted.'

'But Jonathan is the one you fell in love with. And it's the one who I am' he decided and looked into her black eyes which shimmered in the spare light. She kissed him again and again. 'Let's watch the world burn' she whispered. 'And let us see who wins.'

'What if Batman loses?' Jonathan asked two hours later. It was two minutes before midnight.

Valentina thought for a while. 'What if he falls?' Jon repeated.

'Then I am sure that he rises again. And when he manages, you will rise again, too.'

She pushed him on the bed and climbed above him. 'You will come back. I am absolutely sure' and they kissed exactly at twelve o'clock when the ships which were supposed to blow up, stayed down on the ground.

_The world is cruel. The only morality in a cruel world is chance._

'Are you sure you don't need to be there?' he whispered into her ear and felt her naked breast. The news were off, they were showing news all over the night. And everybody knew, that whole Gotham was awake.

'Thank you.'

'You don't have to thank.'

'And every chance for you to fix our city dies with Harvey's reputation. We know all, the Joker took the best of us and turned him down. People will lose hope.'

'They're wrong. They must never know what he did.'

Gordon looked up into Batman's white and dark eyes.

'Five dead. Two of them cops. You can't sweep that out.' 'But the Joker cannot win. Gotham needs its true hero. We either die as a hero or live long enough to see yourself becoming the villain. I could do those things. Because I'm not a hero. I killed those people. That's what I can be.'

'No. You can't. You're not.'

'And whatever it needs to be.'

_'He wasn't the hero we deserved but the hero we needed. Nothing less than a knight.'_

'Why is he going?'

'Because we have to chase him' Gordon answered sadly to his little boy's question.

'He didn't do anything wrong.'

'Why are you so sure he'll rise again?'

'Because he's the hero Gotham deserves' Valentina answered. 'Every dark knight rises. And I will help him' she whispered.

'Destroy him, one last time' Jonathan whispered back.

They saw the repetition in TV. Batman. He was a dark knight that had to fall, he thought.

He shall have the chance to rise, because falling does not destroy.

But after rising, Batman could finally be destroyed.

_'Because he's not our hero. He's a silent guardian. A watchful protector. A dark (k)night.'_

**Please review :D**


	8. Afterlife

**Yesterday I finally was in cinema watching the new Batman and wow, I was impressed. First, because they managed in all three films to fill every female position with a woman who can either not act or really is a pain in the neck...to express it kindly. Second, well there wasn't really much of Batman but it rather felt like an Inception reunion only that somebody forgot to invite DiCaprio.**

**However, in the end they forgot that a nuclear bomb that's going off about three kilometers away from the coast and has a radius from six miles, definetly blows off the city or at least pollutes it radioactively. I'm gonna have a look how I can re-write this story with more logic in it.**

**However, I can only post this single chapter here because - like the first two parts - I have to copy line for line and re-write the whole movie. Therefore I cannot start yet but have to wait until the movie comes out on DVD. I promise that I'll buy it immediately and start writing -**

**except fo this DVD comes out in the mid of my exams next year, then you'll unfortunately have to wait of course (in the meanwhile, you can story alert this fanfic or read all of my other stories^^). I will continue this story and I try to put as much Scarcrow in it as I can but I will need time (and I already waited fucking long for this movie).**

**Next thing: I only know the movie in German so I really have to wait for the DVD so that I can quote it directly from the orginal version. By the way, in the German translation (which is ought to be good but once you listened to a movie in English, you can never watch the German version again) Cillian Murphy is always synchronized with the same voice.**

**Now, imagine Dr. Jonathan Crane with the voice of Tony DiNozzo in NCIS. And that's in every movie like that and therefore I watch once in German and then only watch in English again. So my advice: If you talk German and want to watch a movie, don't choose one with Cillian Murphy in it.**

**So have fun reading this chapter and don't forget to return here when the DVD of The Dark Knight Rises comes out! Coz I'm waiting for you (and please give me reviews! also at the end of this chap!)**

**;)**

Chapter 8

Three days later Bruce entered the Wayne tower again. He had always liked his work but now he needed to finish it. 'Morning Lucius' he said when the elevator doors opened.

'Morning' came an old voice from the desk. Lucius looked up, he seemed to be worried.

'What's up?' Bruce asked. He hoped it was not what he had wanted him to do. But the city was safe and he wasn't needed anymore.

'Valentina took the position three floors above. She's now working in the chemistry lab for inventions and new technologies.'

'She's what? I thought she hated working there?'

'I thought that too' Lucius admitted and looked at Bruce.

'I will visit her there' Bruce decided.

'I wouldn't recommend that' Lucius cried after him but Wayne already was at the elevator doors. He sighed and looked back at the desk where he found a new envelope. 'Oh no' he muttered and knew that it was his cancelation.

* * *

><p>Bruce entered the second floor and walked along the corridor. He looked into the glass-walled offices right and left of him. People were sitting as desks, standing in their labs. At the end of the corridor, he turned into the office on his right. The girl standing at the lab, just shaking a test tube, was turning around.<p>

'Bruce' she said surprised and put away the test tube and her glasses on the table.

'Valentina, why…I was concerned.'

She sighed and turned back to her table.

He came closer. 'What are you doing there?' he asked curiously.

'Bruce, listen' she answered and turned to him. He had never seen this facial expression, he seemed to worry. 'I think…that it's…would be better if you don't see each other anymore…okay?'

'What?' he asked in full surprise.

'Please, Bruce. Don't call me, don't meet me, don't…talk to me.'

'Why? Why are you doing this to me? Is it…because…' he lowered his voice 'Batman? He doesn't exist anymore. He fell and now there is nothing between us.'

'No' she shook her head. 'It's not…I want you to be safe…'

'What? War is over. Gotham will rise again. You're safe and nobody knows I'm…'

'Not me. I want to protect you, Bruce. Please, go!' she said and turned back to her testing tubes and showed that this conversation was over.

Still perplex, Bruce left the office, shook his head and had no idea what to think about this.

* * *

><p>There was a meeting in the Wayne tower Bruce had to attend two weeks later. He had officially cancelled his work and this therefore was the last active meeting for him. He had other men to occupy with the enterprise. After the meeting was over, he decided to go down to second floor just to have a look how angry Valentina was. He still hadn't figured out why she had acted that strangely.<p>

They were officially no couple anymore, and everybody knew now after it was written in nearly every newspaper and magazine of the town. He fastened his steps when he saw two police officers outside of Valentina's office.

'What's up here?' he asked when he entered. He stopped in surprise, there was Commissioner Gordon, just putting handcuffs on Valentina's hands.

'I'm sorry, Mr. Wayne. I would have informed you but we needed to make sure she wouldn't escape or do anything else.'

'Why…what are you doing with her?' he asked and sensed anger coming up to him.

'We're not sure and I am completely convinced by her telling the truth that she's innocent. But we've got a drug dealer in our prison who claims working for Ms. Riddle. He says she's one of the biggest wheels and runs Gotham's underground' Gordon explained.

'That's complete rubbish!' Bruce answered and looked into her black eyes.

'I'm innocent' she whispered and Gordon was gently pushing her forward signing her to go.

'I'm sorry, Bruce' she added when they walked past him. Damn shit, Bruce thought. She knew that but she's innocent. And she wants to keep me out of it, therefore she ended our relationship.

He rolled his eyes and hoped to possess enough power to get her out of this. He waited one hour until he drove to the police department. He managed it to the corridor of the interrogation rooms before he was stopped by Gordon. 'I'm sorry but I can't even let you in here. By the way, I think you shouldn't be dragged into this' he explained.

'How bad is it?' Bruce asked and they both calmed down.

'Our informant still claims that she's the head of a drug cartel here and she refuses that. But to be honest, I don't think she would survive to days with the guys out there.'

Bruce sighed. This couldn't be real. 'What are you doing?'

'I sent a few cops without uniform to the biggest drug cartel. It took over the other one after Maroni got arrested. They'll arrest the current leader and blackmail him to make a statement and if he does, he can go out again' Gordon explained.

'Where's she?' he asked.

The police officer sighed. 'Right here's our bird who's singing and over there's Valentina' he pointed to the room at the end of the corridor.

Bruce wanted to go there when suddenly the door next to them banged open.

'Commissioner, please come in' an officer in blue uniform said.

Gordon and Wayne entered the interrogation room. Their informant lay on the floor, twitching and white foam in front of his mouth. He was rolling on the ground and holding his neck.

'Get a medical in here' Gordon barked and kneed down to the man. Worried he looked up to Bruce.

* * *

><p>Ten minutes later, both Bruce and Gordon sat with Valentina in interrogation room.<p>

'What do you think how stupid I must be to kill a man who tries to bring me into prison? Now you have a statement and nothing to proof that he was wrong!'

'We know how this looks like, Ms. Riddle' Gordon explained. 'And we do everything to proof your innocence. But somebody wants to make it look like you ordered to kill him.'

'I was in here all the time. And I don't even know who this idiot was!' she said in loud voice.

She was angry, understandable, Bruce thought, everything hinted her innocence.

There was a knock on the door. 'Yeah, come in' Gordon barked.

A police officer came in. 'We arrested Keith Doyle. He's in room four.'

'Good' Gordon said and stood up. 'He's the man we believe to be the current head of the drug cartel here in Gotham. We will ask him a few question and in case he cooperates, we'll let him go…No, you stay here, Mr. Wayne' he said and left the room.

'God' Valentina sighed and hid her face in her hands.

'It's all gonna be okay' Bruce said. 'As long as you're innocent.'

'Of course I am, Bruce, what the hell are you thinking?' she looked at him and put her hands on the table.

'Well, you knew you're gonna be arrested. I think therefore you left me' he said and tried to read the truth in her eyes.

She didn't respond to that.

'How did you know he was going to say that?'

'I didn't. But I knew something would happen. Last time I walked through the town at midnight some guy wanted to sell me drugs. I…well, finished him off.'

'You killed him?'

'No, I hit and kick him and threw his drugs into the river…I know it was foolish, Bruce, but I didn't know they were going to hit the roof so much for one of their dealers.'

'Oh my god' Bruce muttered now and leaned back in his chair.

* * *

><p>Commissioner Gordon entered interrogation room four. 'Keith Doyle' he said when he sat down in front of the man. He was end of his thirties, dark brown haired, muscular and a man you didn't want to encounter alone.<p>

'Ya? What's up, man?' he asked and leaned back.

'I've got some questions. When you answer them, you'll be free again.'

'That easy?'

'That easy.'

'Fine.'

'Okay. Is this man working for you?' Gordon asked and showed the picture of the informant.

'Yeah, that's Sam. He's been arrested five months ago. I heard he got crazy.'

'I'm trying to find out. Are there any women working in your cartel?'

Keith laughed. 'Women? They're rather fancy women than drug dealers.'

'So you have no women working for you?' Gordon asked.

'Well, we have one or two dealers. But I won't tell you their names.'

'How old are they?'

'Thirty-one and twenty-five…why the fuck are you asking me such rubbish?'

'You know that girl?' Gordon asked and showed him a picture of Valentina.

'Yeah, man. That was the hottie of Bruce Wayne. No idea why he quit her, she's looking fucking awesome.'

'She quit him, by the way.'

'That's sad, man.'

'You ever met her?'

'No…I think she was the one who kicked one of my dealers.'

'I heard that.'

'Well, he earned that if a woman can finish him off like that.'

'Sam claimed that Valentina would be the head of your drug cartel' Gordon finally said.

'Whao, what?' Keith asked.

'That bitch leading the Gotham drug cartel. What the fuck has Sam taken? I want that stuff. No, but Sam was close friend to the guy Valentina finished off, so that may be why he's talking such rubbish.'

'Okay, thank you' Gordon said and nodded to the police officer in the corner.

He took Keith again and made sure that he could leave the police department.

* * *

><p>'Is everything okay, Master Wayne?' Alfred asked when he entered the sleeping room.<p>

'No…Valentina took a job abroad, you know.'

'Ah, I understand' Alfred placed the breakfast on the table. 'When will she return?'

'I don't know. One year, maybe. She's running a project in Japan…'

'Ah' Alfred said and let Bruce sleep again. He silently closed the door behind him.

* * *

><p>'You're going to Japan?' Dr. Jonathan Crane asked. Valentina nodded.<p>

They were laying together in their bed, in the little flat of Valentina. 'I know that one year is a long time but I can come and visit you from time to time' she promised and touched his nose. He smiled at her and his crystal blue eyes were glowing.

'I love you, Valentina. Don't go. What about the drug cartel?'

'Keith will take it over for a while but he'll call me from time to time. And you should pay attention to yourself as well. You stay here and only go out as Scarecrow.'

'Shall I do shopping as Scarecrow as well?' he asked.

She laughed and kissed him. 'I already miss you' she said and kissed him again.

She didn't tell that she was taking that job in Japan to do little vacation in Tibet. She knew that the time would come, when the society of shadows would rise again. It had always been a matter of time. But now she had heard rumors of a son of Ra's Al Ghul coming back and she couldn't believe it.

Because only her he had told that his child was a girl. And now she needed to find out what it was. And the plans were in the beginnings and it would need time.

But when the society was rising again under Ghul's daughter and when they tried to hit Gotham one more time, she needed to be there right on from the start.

**I know this chapter isn't the best but when I get the DVD, I'm gonna write better and more. So please story alert this fanfic so that you find out when I finished the next chapter. But I think it will take nearly a year until this DVD comes out and I have no way to get the movie earlier and in English...(well, through Internet but I would never ever watch a movie in the Internet...*coughing*)**

**Please review how you like this story until now, please! ;))**


	9. A Fire is Rising

**As promised: The follow up of the story with "The Dark Knight Rises".**

**I don't own anything.**

**Please review.**

Chapter 9

"I knew Harvey Dent. I was his friend. And it will be a very long time before someone inspires us the way he did. I believed in Harvey Dent."

"Dr. Pavel, I'm CIA," the agent greeted. The men shook hands.

"He wasn't alone," he was informed.

"You don't get to bring friends."

"They're not my friends," the physicist answered sharply.

"Don't worry, no charge for them," the other man answered and the CIA agent looked at the three men – on the second glance he noticed it were two men and a woman – with hoods over their heads.

"And why would I want them?" he asked confused.

"They were trying to grab your prize. They work for the mercenary, the masked man," the man answered with an accent.

"Bane?" the CIA agents defined.

"Aye."

"Get them onboard. I'll call it in," he now answered more excited.

They boarded and when they were in midair, the CIA agents made the three hooded guys knee down on the floor. The boss of them pulled out his gun and explained the game. The door was opened and the air pressure was falling low immediately.

"First one to talk gets to stay in the aircraft," the agent explained. None of the persons kneeing showed any reaction yet. The first guy was leaned out of the door.

"Who paid you to grab Dr. Pavel?" the CIA man screamed. The man said nothing. So the agent tried the girl. She was probably more cooperative, nobody trusted girls, they could betray anyone.

"Tell me about Bane, why does he wear that mask?" he shouted. "A lot of loyalty for a hired bitch!" he added.

"Well, perhaps he's wondering why someone would shoot a man before throwing him out of a plane," one of the other guys with the hoods said. The agent stood up and helped the girl back on the floor.

He walked over to the man who has talked. "At least you can talk," he commented. "Who are you?"

"It doesn't matter who we are. What matters is our plan."

The CIA agent bent forward. Hesitating, he grabbed the hood and pulled it off.

"No one cared who I was till I put on the mask," he said with a British accent and the agent blinked twice before he recognized that he was talking to Bane personally. He was wearing a huge black mask that covered half of his face and also his expressions. But still impressive.

"If I pull that off, will you die?" he asked provoking.

"It will be extremely painful," suddenly the girl under the hood said just loud enough for them to understand it.

The agent raised his eyebrow, "you can also talk! But he's a big guy…"

"For you," she answered with an aggressive undertone in her voice.

"Was getting caught part of your plan?" the CIA agent asked Bane while he pulled off the woman's hood as well. What he saw surprised him. She was very young, probably twenty-four years old, she had black curly hair, black eyes and her skin was very pale. She only wore a T-shirt which pointed out how muscular not only her arms were. She must have been through hell lot of training.

"Of course," Bane answered cheerfully. "Dr. Pavel refused our offer in favor of yours. We had to find out what he told you-"

"Nothing. I said nothing," the Doctor answered from one of the seats.

Bane looked at him shortly. The agent took the time to study the girl more. She didn't look stressed or nervous but rather a bit impatient. He heard a silent noise and she looked aside as if expecting something soon. Suddenly, he didn't feel so safe anymore. If Bane had planned to be caught, this definitely wasn't the end of it yet.

"Well, congratulations, you got yourself caught," he said turning back to Bane. "So what's your next step of the master plan?"

"Crashing this plane," Bane answered simply, "with no survivors," he added and stood up.

Suddenly, all the CIA agent heard was gunfire and he ducked immediately down. His own men were falling to the ground and more masked people entered the plane. What the hell was going on? Bane walked toward him and hit him into the face. He stumbled backward, surprised by the power of the hit and fell down again. The woman stood up and walked over to the physicist.

The plane started to move, it was now hanging down from the rescue plane. Everything moved to the top of the room and the woman jumped on the back and grabbed hold on the seat.

The wheeling wings were flying off the plane and the agent and the soldiers who couldn't grab hold were falling down to the bottom. Bane, holding himself with one hand was staring down at them.

He nodded to Valentina who climbed over to Pavel. Bane moved lower in the exact moment that the top of the plane was blown away.

The soldiers who still lived pulled out their guns but were suddenly shot by the black-suited guys entering from above by ropes. They climbed down to Bane and tied him strong. Then, another masked guy came down to the woman and also fastened a belt with a rope for her.

She grabbed the waist of the Doctor. "Hold me, you don't wanna fall," she hissed and he did as she said.

Quickly, without losing time, they transferred his blood to a nearly dead body's one to make sure that the identification of Pavel succeeded after the crash. Then, she tied a belt also around him to make absolutely sure that nothing went wrong.

She looked closely up when Bane reassured one of his men that the fire would rise. He believed him. She smiled shortly and hoped, he'd never trust her loyalty like that. She kicked herself and Pavel away from the seat and nodded to Bane who was hanging above them.

"Now is not time for the fear, Doctor," he said regarding the scared face of the doctor. "That comes later," he added and pushed the button to lose the ropes holding the plane.

The woman looked down how it fell to the ground and probably bursting into thousands of pieces. How long would it take for the American government to find the crashed plane? Slowly, all three were pulled back to the plane, flying to a new direction.

* * *

><p>"Harvey Dent Day may not be our oldest public holiday but we're here tonight because it's one of the most important. Harvey Dent's uncompromising stand against organized crime had made Gotham a safer place than it was at the time of his death, five years ago."<p>

"Do you believe what he is saying?" a police officer said to his friend.

He shook his head. "It's still out there, the evilness," he joked and they both laughed.

They didn't notice the shadow passing behind them, a woman slowly walking toward the main house. She passed another woman, one of the waitresses, this one may not recognize her, but she definitely recognized her the other way round. The woman stopped shortly and looked up to the top of the wall, a man staring down at the crowd and then at her.

The woman nodded and continued walking toward the house. She has been here only a few times in the last past five years but she hasn't seen Bruce Wayne for the whole time. Commissioner Gordon was greeted and started his speech. The woman knew what he was saying and whatever it was going to be, it wasn't the truth. She didn't bother listening. Why if not the truth?

"I have written a speech about Harvey Dent telling the truth about Harvey Dent," he started.

The woman stopped shortly and took a look around.

"Maybe the time isn't right."

She turned back and headed to the main door. She met the waitress again, she was passing with a meal and a key. No doubt that she was heading toward Bruce's wing of the building.

Valentina had wanted to visit him several times. Either she hadn't found him there or he had locked some doors. He has evaded her all the time and finally she had given up, when the fire had begun to rise. She nodded to Alfred who was leaving the kitchen. At least with one person in the building she has stayed in contact.

Silently, she followed the waitress Selina her way upstairs. She stopped at the door and regarded how Selina put down the meal on the table. But she didn't walk out of the room immediately. She took some looks around, watching the pictures at the cupboards, not knowing that she was observed by also Bruce's ex-girlfriend.

Valentina, standing at another door now, turned around suddenly when she heard a noise. Bruce was standing there, staring at her without any expression in his face. They hadn't seen for five years and he has changed so much. He passed toward her without a word and pushed her gently aside to have a look at who she had been following.

Selina, impressed by the darts, nearly got a heart attack when Bruce had shot an arrow closely next to her head. Valentina hung her head down, even now, five years later, he hasn't even talked a word to her, he rather challenged a waitress, although he didn't know who she really was.

But Valentina knew, and that was what bothered her. And instead of leaving, she leaned to the wall and listened.

She stammered excuses, all of them faked. "It is Mr. Wayne, isn't it?" she asked finally. "Although you don't have the long nails or the facial scars, sir."

"Is that what they say about me?" he asked, she heard his footsteps coming closer to Selina.

"It's just that no one ever sees you."

"That's a beautiful necklace. Reminds me of one that belonged to my mother," Bruce changed the subject. "It can't be the same one because her pearls are in this safe, the manufacturer clearly explained that it is uncrackable," he continued and looked at the unlocked safe until he looked back at her again.

Valentina now had heard enough. She wanted to see that bitch. She turned around the corner but was still not seen as being in the shadows, her natural element.

"Oops," Selina said now showing her true nature. "Nobody told me it was uncrackable."

"I'm afraid I can't let you take those."

"Look, you wouldn't beat up a woman any more than I would beat up a cripple," she said and kicked away his walking stick. He fell to the ground and Valentina was close to running at her and releasing all her stored anger but she remembered the self-discipline she had learned from Ra's Al Ghul.

"Of course, sometimes exceptions have to be made," Selina mentioned and walked toward the window. "Good night, Mr. Wayne," she added with a jump backward out of the building.

Bruce stood up quickly. He turned around and suddenly Valentina stood in front of him. "You don't talk to me for five years and now this bitchy thief appears and you are the most extroverted person again?" she asked coldly.

He sighed. "I'm sorry. I needed to be on my own…without distractions…"

"Distractions?"

"You were the one to go abroad!"

"It was because of my work, Bruce! Some people still need to work, if you understand," and before he could answer she quickly left the room. On the staircase she met Alfred.

"She stole his necklace," she informed.

"Who?" the butler asked surprised.

"Selina, the 'waitress'", she answered and filled with new anger, left the Wayne Manor as quickly as possible.

She needed to cool down again, either Crane or some bodies, probably both.

**Please review.**


	10. End

Chapter 10

"What are you doing?" Alfred asked wondering.

"Examining print dust. We've been robbed."

"So I've heard."

Now, Bruce looked up surprised.

"I met Valentina on the doorstep. She seemed a bit angry. Have you talked to her?"

"Yes."

"Then this might be the reason."

"She has gone abroad, Alfred."

"Yes, for one and a half years and she returned. She used to visit you…at least she tried. Longer than anybody would have tried and she has been quite nice for not having seen you for over five years."

"What has she been doing?"

"She had worked in Japan as leading chemist in the development of Wayne Enterprises. She came back and continued her work, closely with the Asian companies. She was offered promotion twice and both times declined, once because it would send her to Europe forever and once because it would mean a desk job," Alfred said, obviously not having lost track of her.

"And have you two been meeting often?" Bruce asked without real interest.

"Yes, and she's as nice as always…and she's no thief beating a cripple," Alfred answered, "how were you dusting for prints anyway? We can track her easier."

"I wasn't, she was," Bruce answered and slowly limping away.

* * *

><p>"I need to go out tonight," Valentina said.<p>

"And you telling me this now?" Jonathan complained and turned around to her. They were lying in bed in Crane's small flat that he had moved to five years ago.

"I'm sorry, but we're planning something new."

"Taking over the city again? After it ended so well the last few times?"

"This time, you'll like it," Valentina and bent over to kiss her boyfriend again. Then she stood up and clothed again. "I'll see you," she whispered into his ear and after a long kiss, she disappeared from the room. She walked down to the street and drove away in her black Audi. She looked at her watch, she still had time.

It was about one o'clock when she arrived at the empty construction area. She left her car and walked to the gully. She definitely needed to find a better way to get in. She climbed down the ladder and walked down the tunnels. With her torch switched on, she could still barely see but finally arrived at the huge platform.

A lot of kids that she had seen in Gotham were now working down here, word has come around that you found a job here. It had been a good idea of Bane to use the children, they worked well, they didn't talk to the police in any case and you could more or less rely on that they came back. Valentina walked over to Bane who was kneeing next to a guy with a tablet PC.

"What are you planning?" she asked interested and looked at the tablet.

"What do you think of paying the stock market a visit?" Bane asked in his typically pronounced speech. He seemed to trust her and she only hoped for both of them that this was truly the case. "Can you do me a favor?" he then added.

"Everything you ask," Valentina muttered while she stood up again.

"Can you accompany Stryver to a little meeting. I'm afraid he'll mess it up again."

"Of course," she answered.

* * *

><p>Valentina drove while Stryver sat on the co-driver's seat. The other men of Bane were driving in another car. "How long have you been working for Bane?" Stryver suddenly asked.<p>

"Why?" she wanted to know.

"He seems to trust you."

"He doesn't trust anyone. And neither do I trust him. You joined one year ago, didn't you?"

"Yeah…It was one of the few chances I had."

"Where've you been before? You got a strange accent."

"I worked in Cardiff, England for quite a while."

"What happened?"

"I died…twice."

Valentina side-looked at him. What should she think of that answer? "I'll just ignore your last sentence, okay?" she asked and made him smile. There was definitely something strange, something that had happened to him that brought him here.

They entered the small pub and Stryver went to sit down at one of the tables. His men spread along the room and Valentina sat down right next to him. It took a little while until Selina Kyle entered.

"You brought a date?" he asked when she entered with a man who sat down at the bar.

"I like someone around to open doors for me," she answered and then looking at Valentina, added, "I don't expect him to do that, does he?" She didn't react, so she continued with pulling out the prints, "right hand. No partials."

He took the envelope and opened it, checking them. "Very nice," he muttered.

"Not so fast, handsome. You got something for me?... I don't know what you're planning to do with Mr. Wayne's prints but I'm guessing you'll need his thumb…you don't count so good, huh?"

"We're counting fine," Valentina answered and managed to be even calmer than Selina pretended to. "In fact, I'm counting to ten right now."

"Okay," she said and handed them over a cell phone. "Just hit 'send'", she explained.

"I assume it's his phone and that will alarm the cops," Valentina said nodding over to the man at the bar. There was a little moment in which Selina's cover seemed to blow and she looked pretty nervous, but a second later she was all herself again.

"Then I assume we'll let them come," Stryver said and sent the message.

There was a knock at the door and a blonde girl came in, looking all cool and a bit stoned. "Is everything okay?" she asked.

"Oh, we're in the mid of a party," Valentina answered coldly while she took the last print. The blonde went out again, looking suspiciously around. "I think we should leave now," she added in the exact moment that they heard tires screeching nearby.

"Good idea," Stryver answered and they both hurried out the back door. "What, no bitch fight?" he asked surprised when he noticed that Valentina just left without hitting someone which seemed unusual for her.

"I'll have time for that later, you can bet on that," she answered while they hurried down the street. They heard the SWAT teams hurrying into the pub and hid in a side street.

"What now?" Stryver asked.

"We'll walk back," she proposed.

"You must be kidding," he complained when they tried to walk away without raising any suspicion or unwanted attention. "You know I had a friend who had this big watch at his arm…it made him move quite quickly…"

"You know that you're not making any sense at all?" Valentina asked.

"Yeah…" he answered but followed her.

They took the nearest gully and started climbing down. "You know which direction?" he asked.

"It isn't far."

"I believe you."

They heard the gun fire of the other men trying to get rid of the cops and suddenly there was the noise of an explosion. "Seems like they're all fine," Valentina commented when she walked into the big hall where Bane's men all worked.

It took only a few minutes until the other men arrived, carrying someone. Valentina just climbed up to where Bane stood to tell him what happened. But Bane first turned to the body who the men had brought to him. He was still alive and Valentina was surprised to recognize Commissioner Gordon.

"Why are you here?" Bane asked.

"Answer him," one of the men said and kicked the cop who was silently breathing.

"I was asking you," Bane answered.

"It's the police commissioner."

"And you brought him down here?"

"We didn't know what to do."

"You panicked. And your weakness has cost the lives of three others."

"No, he was alone," the man answered but Bane grabbed his neck and pressed his fingers deep inside the skin.

"Search him," he then ordered the other man. "Then I will kill you."

He kneed down and handed Bane a bunch of papers and the gun. Gordon was half-conscious and looked weakly around. His eyes widened when they made contact with Valentina. He couldn't believe that she was down here.

Bane looked at the papers and Gordon took the chance to roll himself down into the water. Immediately the shouting and she shooting began. As far as Valentina could make out, he seemed to be hit by a bullet. "Damn it," she hissed. He could now easily expose her, she'd need a cover story quickly.

"He's dead," the man concluded.

"So show me his body," Bane answered. The man argued but Bane proposed to follow him. Without hesitating, he shot him and then turned to Valentina. "Now your time of decision has come. To whom do you pay your loyalty," he said.

He was far taller and more muscular than her and seemed pretty convincing standing in front of the small girl. "I'll find him and I make sure that he believes me."

"Kill him," Bane simply said when she walked away.

She cursed herself, this shouldn't have happened. It has been so close before and now it was Bane who gave her an order that she didn't want to do. But she didn't see a chance. She couldn't risk ending up in prison or at court now, not so close to the collapse. She knew where they had find the last body and took one of the cars that Bane's men used.

She drove to the last crime scene and was surprised to see another cop there as well. He already kneed over Gordon's body and shouted at him. He stared up at her while she already dialed the emergency number.

* * *

><p>She had waited for nearly three hours until the Commissioner woke up again. He looked around and noticed that he was alone with her. "How do you feel?" Valentina asked. She was sitting on a chair next to his bed.<p>

"What have you been doing down there?" he directly asked.

She hesitated, but then responded, "he told me to kill you."

"Will you?"

She shook her head slowly. "I thought about this a pretty long time, you know. I know every possible scenario, I know how it will turn out. And I won't be able to do that anymore. After all, I'm getting older as well…and I want to quit."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Ra's Al Ghul…the Joker…and now Bane. I've helped them all. And now you should listen closely because Bane's net is bigger than you think."

"Really?"

"You've seen them down there…but…he's the love of Misses Tate. She works with Bruce Wayne…"

"She…what?"

"She's Ra's Al Ghul daughter, whatever she'll tell you. They tried to pass Bane as his child to protect her in this city. But no…she's my sister."

"Sister?"

"Half-sister."

"You're…Ra's Al Ghul's daughter?"

Valentina nodded slowly. "Can you do me a favor?" she asked. Gordon didn't react. It was too much information at once. "Tell Bruce the truth…please…and now listen to what I have to tell you…"

* * *

><p>She already heard the sirens driving through the whole city when she left the hospital. Only three more things to do. She knocked at the flat door only twenty minutes later.<p>

"What is it?" the blonde woman asked.

"I wanna see your girlfriend."

"Who are you?"

"Someone who promised her a revenge," Valentina asked and shot her without hesitation.

She then walked inside the flat. "I thought it would be tidier," she answered when she saw a surprised Selina Kyle in her Catwoman costume. "I'm sorry to end it so fast, but I don't have the time," she said and smiled when she raised her gun.

* * *

><p>"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Valentina said when she stepped over the body of her beloved Jonathan Crane. "One more thing to do," she whispered to herself when she climbed onto her motorcycle.<p>

She drove more than thirty minutes to avoid any cops running into buildings or opening the way into the underground system. She had really created a good task for them and the city would get even cleaner. She stopped in front of the huge castle of Bruce Wayne. She knew that the news had reached him when she spotted the police car in front of the door.

The officers were just walking out but ignored her. Had Gordon avoided to say who he got his information from? Then she spotted Bruce at one of the windows. He didn't look angry, he only looked sad. She nodded and turned around. Without looking back, she drove away.

* * *

><p>Fifteen years later, Alfred entered the café again. He did so every year since Bruce had disappeared again. He didn't doubt that he was hunting villains again, perhaps not as Batman, perhaps not as a masked man, but still.<p>

Alfred shook his head while he ordered a coffee. He looked out on the sea and had a quick look around. And there he suddenly was, looking completely different. So much older, but so much more responsible.

He smiled at him and the woman at his table turned around. Valentina seemed not having aged a bit and Alfred's smile grew even bigger when a little girl looked at where her parents were starring.

She looked exactly like her mother…just having the eyes of her father. Alfred smiled and couldn't tell if he had ever been happier…


End file.
